Paradise
by mangoaddict
Summary: What happened to the pod squad during the weeks before Future Max came back during 'The End of the World' Completely CC.
1. World of Your Dreams

Title: Paradise

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Author's note: This story takes place right before Max comes back in time in the episode The End of the World. It is my take on what exactly the end of the world would have been like. The inspiration for the story is taken from the song Paradise by Vanessa Carlton. You should listen to the song if you have not heard it before, it is really good. The lyrics are printed throughout the story, one verse at the beginning of each chapter.

Warning: This is not a particularly happy story.

* * *

Chapter One: World of Your Dreams

**_Once upon a year gone by  
she saw herself give in.  
Every time she closed her eyes  
she saw what could have been_**

_So this is the way the world ends_, Max mused to himself as he stared quietly at the men in front of him. After years of this battle, he had long since given up panicking, and now he found that as he faced the end of his life, he could hardly muster the strength to even grimace. Life had worn away the edges of his soul, leaving behind a man who seemed to care for little outside the immediate moment. The king he thought he would never be shown through now, and the others saw it in his lifeless eyes.

It was no wonder to him then, that the men in front of him did not inspire even an ounce of fear to flow through his veins.

They were slowly surrounding him, their faces filled with grim satisfaction as they stared at the captured king, but Max merely stared back, his eyes unreadable.

_I'll never have the chance to tell Liz I love her,_ Max thought suddenly, and oddly enough, that thought did cause a surge of panic in him, one he could neither fight away nor ignore. He felt the blood pump through his veins, and wondered briefly if he had given up too early.

But that was neither here not there.

Until the sound of a motorcycle skidding across the dirt road pulled the hybrid king from his stupor, and he jerked, staring out in the direction of the noise.

The others turned as well, their smiles faltering at the approaching roar. They flanked their leader quickly, prepared to battle the intruder. They could practically taste the victory today, and nothing would take it from them. The King was theirs, and soon his General and the Princess would fall as well.

A flash of light ripped through the air, a blast of energy that seemed to wake Max from his trance and throw him headlong back into reality. Time sped up, and he found himself acting without thought or planning. A force field burst from his hand, enveloping himself and his rescuer in a protective bubble. The skins hissed as they threw energy at him, but years of fighting for his life had served him well, and the barrier did not falter.

"Took you long enough," Max managed with a slight grin as he glanced at the man on the motorcycle.

"For a moment there I thought you were going to let yourself die," the man replied, reaching out and extending a hand to the hybrid king. Max clambered onto the back of the bike and extended his arm in a sudden powerful jerk, and the skins flew away from him, clearing the path for escape.

"And leave you to lead this battle, Michael? _Never_," Max replied.

The motorcycle roared again, and the two disappeared into the distance, the dust filling the air behind them until all that was left was a haze of tiny particles floating in the stifling New Mexico air.

"Let them go."

The order was sharp, cold, and all eyes turned to the leader. But Nicolas was unwavering in his decision, and as he stared out into the desert with dark eyes, the others nodded in reluctant assent and turned away.

* * *

The news came second hand from the most notorious gossip in the school, but it had a tinge of truth to it, too much for Liz to write it off as irrelevant. But she did not want to appear overly concerned by the revelation, so she simply accepted it with a polite nod and murmured some excuse about needing to get back to work. The girl had taken the hint and hung up the phone, but not after giving several possible, and exceedingly absurd, theories, most of which seemed to revolve around government conspiracies and artificial intelligence.

As she turned away from the phone, replacing it in the receiver with one hand, Liz caught sight of her weary reflection in the mirror of the small Boston apartment, and sighed. Her skin was pale, too pale, and her dark hair fell limply over her face. Her expressionless eyes seemed to fade into the background of her face, cold and unemotional.

It still amused her that Max used to write poetry about the way her face would sparkle when she laughed.

Max…

"What's wrong?"

Liz turned sharply and glanced over at her roommate, who had just entered the small living room. Serena was two years older and worked as a paralegal at one of Boston's most prestigious firms. It never ceased to amaze Liz that the girl had gone into that field when she had a PhD in physics, with an emphasis in quantum mechanics, but Serena did seem happy with her lot in life.

"Nothing," Liz said simply, pushing a strand of hair out of her eyes and taking a few steps over to the sofa.

But Serena wasn't buying. "No, that was not a nothing look," the lanky redhead denied, her green eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Who was on the phone?"

"Sara Mazor," Liz replied quietly.

Serena gave a dark chuckle. Sara was a gossip and a flirt, but a generally nice person. Her blonde hair and dazzling blue eyes attracted endless attention from boys and men, and she never seemed to know when to turn her charm off. She was an endless fountain of information, and neither Liz nor Serena ever hesitated to beg her for the latest news.

But the drawn look on Liz's face informed Serena that whatever the news was, it was much more important than a faculty retirement or some grant awarded the business school.

"What did she say?" Serena asked gravely.

Liz sighed and flopped onto the sofa. "She said that there was a rumor floating around then the men in black are back."

"Men in black? Like alien police?" Serena asked, confused.

"No, the FBI," Liz elaborated, biting her lip. "Sara said they were asking questions today during electrochemical physics."

"About what?" Serena questioned with interest. The FBI's presence was not entirely unheard of, not since the bioterrorist attack in New York three years ago. They routinely made rounds throughout all the medical and science schools, asking questions in an attempt to ferret out any possible subversives. The Harvard Graduate School of Biological Sciences was one of the best in the country, so it was no surprise to anyone when the FBI showed up there. But the questions always left Liz nervous and apprehensive because she had a different, but equally dangerous, secret to hide.

"Just questions," Liz lied unconvincingly. Serena raised an eyebrow, and Liz sighed in defeat, then let the entire tale unfold. "Apparently they were asking about Cadmium X. It is a substance that appeared on Pierce when Michael killed him. Nasedo, when he was pretending to be Pierce, told everyone that it was all a hoax, and they disbanded the Special Unit. But now… now they were asking questions about how to make it. Is it possible to create that isotope."

"Do you think they are generally interested in making it, or that they've got some somehow?" Serena wanted to know, chewing her bottom lip thoughtfully. It had been years since she had been brought into the alien's secret, and it never ceased to amaze her what these people had to go through just to _live_. It was disgusting the way they had been persecuted by the FBI for so long, and terrifying that there were enemy aliens among them now as well.

Liz didn't answer right away. Finally, she said softly, "They were asking about it in conjunction with the bioterrorist attacks."

Serena's eyebrows shot into the air, and her eyes widened dramatically. "In New York? Do they think…?"

Liz shrugged. "I wish I knew. But it makes sense. Actually, it makes a lot of sense. The chemical used was one we had never seen before, and that was why it was able to wipe out half the state before we could stop it." She got up and began to pace in frustration. "Really, I'm surprised I didn't see it before."

Serena gave a low whistle. "You think the skins have attacked humans? But why? And why only do it then? Once, three years ago?"

"How do we know that is the only one?" Liz pointed out. "How many more attacks have their been where all the details are hidden by the government? Ten, fifteen? We always assumed that it was some new terrorist organization, but what if…" She closed her eyes, thinking. "What if Khivar does not want to engage in all out war with the world yet? What if all he wants is to weaken us, so that when he finally does take Max, Isabel, and Michael, he can then crush us as an afterthought?"

"You need to tell Max."

Max…

Her husband. The love of her life. She missed him so much it hurt sometimes. She had desperately wanted to stay with him, but he refused to let her give up on her dreams. The full scholarship to the Molecular Biology PhD program had been too tempting an opportunity to pass by, and as the hybrid king could not leave New Mexico, the two had found themselves on opposite sides of the country. Although they talked every night, and often every day, it still wasn't the same.

But after a while, she had also realized another reason he had wanted her to stay away from him. This war he was fighting had already cost lives…too many lives…she choked at the thought, wiping away the stray tears that fell whenever she thought of…

No.

She wouldn't think of that. Not today, not now.

And besides her dreams and her safety, being on the other side of the country had given her the opportunity to make some very powerful friends. Children of congressmen and fiancée's of media moguls gave her immediate news that was hardly ever available to the public, and she worked like a sieve, sorting out the useful information and passing it along to those in New Mexico. It was not a perfect arrangement, but it provided safety, security, and hope that one day everything would go back to normal.

But what is normal?

Ever since Max had entered her life, normal had disappeared, swept under the rug or tossed out the window. And she had taken Max's hand and walked away from what could have been, never looking back.

Except…

Sometimes, late at night, when she rolled over in her bed and felt Max's absence, when she remembered how far away he was from her, she would let the tears fall. She would grieve for the life she could have had, if Max had only been a normal boy. She would grieve for the friends she had lost in this war, and for the people who would never understand who she was and what she was going through. And she would grieve for all those shattered dreams of the perfect house with the beautiful white picket fence and the three children running around the yard after the Golden Retriever puppy.

Everything she had ever wanted, all those plans and hopes, those dreams…fate had a funny way of upsetting the best laid plans of mice and men.

* * *

Alex yawned slowly and rolled over in bed, watching as the sun rose slowly, casting rays of light through the glass of his window. He pushed his rumpled hair out of his eyes and dragged his feet over the side of the bed, stifling another yawn. He had been dreaming a dream he did not want to forget, a memory of a time when things had been better, when life had been simpler.

When Maria had still been alive.

Five years since her death, and he still could not forget. The funeral, the grave…Michael's broken expression as he knelt by the body, _her_ body… Max's haunted eyes as Khviar's skins disappeared, Isabel's blazing anger… and Liz.

Liz had cried for months, her eyes perpetually bloodshot, her lips quivering with emotion every time she let herself think back to the those horrible…

No.

He wouldn't think of that.

He turned instead to the dream, trying to remember ever detail. It had been the wedding. He dreamt of it a lot, dreamt of all the happy moments wrapped up in that event. Max was bursting with anticipation and Liz had never looked so radiant, her dark hair falling in gentle curls over her beautiful face. She was wearing white, a simple but elegant gown, and her smiled seemed to glow.

And it was on that night that Isabel had first said she loved him.

Alex smiled fondly at the memory. Who could have known, at the time, what would happen? That they would be torn apart, scattered across the country? Liz to Harvard, Max, Isabel and Michael caught in the war in Roswell. And here he was, in California.

California Institute of Technology.

He had wished so many times that Isabel had come with him. She had wanted to come as well, she had told him as much. But the skins attacked, and she was called away from him and into service protecting a world that would just as soon kill her if they knew what she was.

It never ceased to amaze him, the things people did not see. Or was it that they saw, but chose to ignore? He could not fathom how anyone could live in New Mexico, in all of the United States for that matter, and not feel the presence of this underground war between the aliens.

A vicious battle that would decide the fate of more than one world.

The phone rang, blaring through the still air and jolting Alex from his bittersweet thoughts. He reached over and lifted it from the receiver, noting the number on the caller ID as he did so. "Isabel?" he asked hopefully.

"Hey," Isabel's voice replied. "How are you?"

"Good. You?" Alex replied. It was a pointless question, they both knew the answer. They knew that neither was actually remotely close to fine, but neither would admit to that.

"I'm doing well," Isabel replied.

Alex closed his eyes and listened to the voice. It soothed him the way no other ever could, the gentle rise and fall of her tone. He could hear her breathing, and for a moment, he imagined she was sitting next to him, and he could almost feel the air on his cheek. He could pretend that she was here, that she was never leaving him, and that she was whispering, time and again, that she loved him and always would.

And for that one moment, everything really was alright.

* * *

"Daddy?" the small dark-haired child tugged at her father's coat, trying to draw his attention. She watched as he turned and looked down at her, a smile of his face, and she beamed back. "Daddy, can you push me on the swing?"

"Of course, Abby," Kyle Valenti replied, lifting his young daughter into his arms and caring her over to the swings. She clung to the front of his shirt, her face buried in his chest. Her long blonde hair spilled over her face and obscured her features from view, and she clutched a gray teddy bear tightly in one hand.

Kyle deposited his daughter on the swing and began to push her, watching as she pumped her legs, trying to gain momentum. Abby was only four, and small for her age, but she was strong, and soon the swing was moving without his help. He stepped back and observed as she shrieked with laughter, her brown eyes widening as the swing reaching higher and higher towards the sky.

Kyle glanced up at the expanse of cloudless blue and shook his head. It seemed so strange to realize that he had once looked up at the stars without anything more than a passing glance. They used to be balls of burning gas, something that only interested astrologers. But now…

Now they were so much more.

And yet, in a way, they weren't. He had left Roswell directly after graduation, and hadn't looked back. There had been no reason to, because his father had moved with him, leaving that part of his life behind. There wasn't anything worth saving, and they had already sacrificed so much of their lives protecting someone else's secret.

And so he had moved. And three years later he had met Jennifer, they had married, and Abby had been the result of their honeymoon night. Sometimes he spoke to Max or Isabel, hurried conversations that had never held any importance. Empty words and empty feelings… And he rarely spoke to Michael, not since Maria had…

Kyle shook his head and turned his thoughts back to happier memories. He still spoke to Liz frequently, but even those conversations were stilted. She was caught up in something alien, and he had made it perfectly clear that he never wanted that to be a part of his life again. He had moved on, and he wanted normalcy for his wife and daughter.

And he was happy.

Well, mostly happy. There was still one thing missing, one moment in time he wished he could have changed. It woke him up in the middle of the night and left him breathless whenever he tried to forget.

The night Tess had left.

The fight. The screaming and the tears. She had stormed out of the Crashdown, livid and determined to leave the sleepy town as soon as possible. And the others, including him, had watched her go, not quite wanting to stop her.

But he missed her. He would never deny that, he missed her. They all missed her now, now that she was dead. That was the irony of life, wasn't it?

He had often wondered if he would have ended up with Tess, the way Max and Liz, Isabel and Alex, and Michael and Maria had. There had been so much in her that he loved, and he wanted to hold on to that, but she had slipped through his fingers like sand. If he had just help tighter, would it be a blue-eyed child on that swing?

And it wasn't even just Tess that he missed anymore. As much as he would have hated to admit it, as much as it galled him to know he still cared, he missed the aliens. He missed being part of the group, he missed secret meetings and conspiracy theories. He missed feeling like he belonged to something important, like he was doing something worthwhile with his life.

He shook his head again. There was no reason to dwell on all the 'what ifs' and 'what could have been.' What was done was done, life had taken him somewhere else, and he was happy.

Wasn't he?

* * *

Author's note: Now, I know this does not seem like it is going to be a candy story, but it will. I am going to include a lot of flashbacks with everyone to show how the war reached this point, and then I am going to carry the story forward right up until Max goes back in time. So for my candy readers, do not despair!

Next Chapter: Landslide

Due: Fri 3/17


	2. Landslide

Title: Paradise

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Inspiration: 'Paradise' by Vanessa Carlton

Author's note: I know I am vague on some of the details, I do that for a reason. I'm leaving the details for you to fill in, since I am sure that we all have different ideas of what exactly the end of the world would have been like.

By the way, I should add the warning that there will be character death. Almost everybody dies in the end of the world (we know Michael and Isabel die before Max comes back in time) so I figured you guys would expect some of that, but I thought I'd add this warning in just in case you forgot what happened in that episode.

* * *

Chapter Two: Landslide

_**Well nothing hurts and nothing bleeds  
when covers tucked in tight   
funny when the bottom drops  
how she forgets to fight... to fight**_

The nightmare was back again.

"_Come with me, Vilandra." The man extended his hand towards her, his soft brown eyes filled with a gentle yearning. "Come and rule by my side like you were always meant to."_

_Isabel backed away, shaking her head in wordless fear. How could she get this man to leave her alone, how could she escape this never-ending terror?_

"_No? You reject me?" The warm brown eyes darkened into an icy black, to midnight slits glaring at her. "You reject _me_?" He laughed, high-pitched and cold, and the wind around him picked up until the room was howling with a ferocity unparalleled. _

_She wanted to scream, to tell him to leave, to force him away, but she was stuck. Her legs wouldn't move, her arms hung useless by her side, her heart beat in increasingly erratic intervals, racing and stopping as the man drew closer._

"_But I love you," he whispered, and his voice was mocking. _

_Like daggers, the words punctured her soul, and she managed to breath out an answer. "No…Alex…I love Alex."_

_The man laughed again. "If I can't have you, darling Vilandra," he murmured, "then no one can." The dark room was filled with light, and Isabel saw a flash of Max lying dead on the street, covered in his own blood, of Michael glowing with an eerie blue light as his body crumpled to the ground, of Alex's coffin lowered slowly into a grave, of Liz beaten and broken…_

_And she screamed. _

"Isabel!"

Isabel jolted awake to see Max and Michael leaning over her, shaking her in an effort to rouse her from the dream. They were both scared, their faces sheet white, their eyes wide with fear. She gave them a weak smile and pushed a sweaty strand of hair out of her eyes. She realized that she was burning up, her body running a dangerously high fever, but despite this, she felt a coldness deep within her bones.

"Did Khivar…?"

Isabel nodded at her brother. "He won't let the nightmares stop, Max, and I can't figure out how to throw him out. I can't…I can't stop him, but its making me afraid to sleep…"

"We're here," Max whispered comfortingly, and he and Michael both pulled Tess into a hug. "We're always here, and we are always going to keep you safe."

Isabel nodded with a doubtful smile, knowing that Max's reassurances weren't true. This was her fight, and no one else would ever be able to keep her safe.

* * *

"I'm coming back to Roswell." 

His heart leapt and sank as she said the words, and he wondered what emotion he was supposed to feel. She was his wife, and he missed her, missed her more than he could possibly say. But at the same time, if she came back, if she came back and something happened to her…

He couldn't even finish the thought, it hurt so much.

"I don't know if that's a good idea, Liz."

"I need to be with you, Max. Especially if there is any truth in what I've heard about the FBI," Liz countered, clutching the phone to her ear as she paced the apartment. She understood his reservations, and she knew the danger she was walking directly into. But she had to do this, she had to come back, she had to face whatever dangers he would face. If anything happened to him, and she wasn't there to help…

She couldn't even finish the thought, it hurt so much.

"What do you know?" Max asked at last, breaking the silence. "What have you heard?"

"I don't know much, mostly rumors," Liz replied wearily, taking a seat on the sofa. "The FBI is asking questions again, about the bioterrorist attacks in New York."

"You think they were alien related?" Max was skeptical, although as he thought over the idea, it did make some semblance of sense. As much sense as anything else in this war made.

"Well, the FBI certainly do," Liz muttered. She closed her eyes and leaned against the sofa. "They were asking about Cadmium X."

Max sucked in a sharp breath. "If aliens were behind that…"

"Then we were wrong when we supposed they were only going after us," Liz finished the thought slowly. "All of Earth is in danger as well." She got up and started pacing again, too nervous to sit still. "I spoke to Greg Daniels. He works at CBS. There have been some rumors floating around there, and the investigative journalists are starting to get suspicious. They know the FBI is looking in to more than just bioterrorism."

"Great," Max rolled his eyes, "because dealing with Khivar and his skins and the FBI is not enough. Now we have to worry about the press as well?"

"You sound stressed," Liz commented. "Did something happen?" She wasn't entirely sure she wanted to know the answer to that question, especially not if there had been another attack. Had someone died…?

Oh, God.

"Not the way you are thinking," Max rushed to assure her, knowing her mind would wander to darker places. "If someone had died, I would have told you right away." He closed his eyes and sighed, listening to her breathing from the other end of the phone. "Isabel had another nightmare, and I'm running out of ways to protect her. Nothing we do keeps Khivar out of her mind."

"How is she holding up?" Liz asked in concern. She knew the kind of mental torment the skin king could inflict on his victims, she had seen it first hand before she moved out to the East Coast. She bit her lip and silently prayed that Isabel was strong enough to make it through.

"Not well," Max answered honestly. "She's starting to give up." There was a silence, then Max continued in a quieter voice, "Liz, I'm scared."

The thought of loosing Isabel…

His parents had died several years before. His father had died from a stroke, but his mother…his mother had been the first casualty in this war. The skins had gotten to her before he could warn her, and they had left her body for him to find. She had died never knowing his secret, never knowing who he really was. She had died not even knowing why it was she had died.

And Max and Isabel had been left to bury the last of their past under a simple stone grave marker and move on with their lives.

Max wiped away a stray tear with one hand. He had lost his mother and father, his best friend's girlfriend, and now he was slowly loosing his sister as well.

"I'm coming to Roswell," Liz said suddenly, determinedly. "I'll call you after I've bought the plane ticket, when I know what time I'll be arriving."

They exchanged a few more words, then Liz hung up and sank back into the sofa, falling against the cushions in frustration and fury. She hated this, hated feeling so helpless. She knew the information she passed along to Max was valuable, incredibly valuable, but it wasn't enough. It wasn't enough, because she was standing here while her friends faded away, torn apart by the enemy.

"You're going to Roswell?"

Liz turned sharply to see Serena standing there, staring at her with surprise and confusion. She nodded and pushed a strand of dark hair out of her eyes. "Max needs me," she said simply.

Serena stared at her for a long time, and Liz was sure she was going to protest. To come up with long lists of all the reasons she was doing more good by staying here, of all the dangers she would face if she went back.

But she didn't.

When the redhead finally spoke, she gave one simple, yet totally unexpected, reply.

"Then I'm coming with you."

* * *

It was a white marble gravestone. The edges had been worn away by the storms that threw dust and sand around in the air like tiny bullets. Five years was a long time, and the words on the marble had been slowly eroded until the inscription was almost impossible to read. But the rest of the grave was carefully tended, fresh flowers brought every few days and the old ones cleared away with loving care. 

The lone figure knelt by the grave, leaning against the marker as he stared out into the distant desert, not actually seeing any of his surroundings. His mind was on other memories, happier memories, when the two had laughed and fought and loved.

"_I have to work tonight, Maria," Michael snapped, exasperated. "I can't just ask for a night off every time it suits you."_

"_This is not some small insignificant thing," Maria hissed back, wiping tears of anger away. "This is our anniversary."_

"_You say it like it's a wedding anniversary," Michael replied with a role of his eyes. "It's the two year anniversary of dating, it isn't that big a deal. We can celebrate it another night." He turned his back on the irate blonde, trying to focus on the work at hand. He needed to finish up his homework so that he could get to work, and Maria just didn't understand. It wasn't his fault he had to pay his way through college. He had always had to take care of himself, especially now that he was actually trying to get an education._

"_You don't get it at all, do you?" Maria almost shrieked. Michael shrugged carelessly and she turned and stalked from the room, shaking with anger._

_He showed up three hours later under her window with a bouquet of roses and a reservation at the fanciest restaurant in town. It was as close to an apology as he would ever make, and Maria knew it._

_And, despite his faults, she loved him. And despite her faults, he loved her. And they were happy._

Were_ happy._

_Past tense._

Michael was brought out of his thoughts as he turned and stared at the grave. He would have taken her out every night they were dating had he known he was going to lose her so soon.

"_Nice place to think, isn't it?"_

"Yes, Michael murmured, glancing over at the phantom he knew was not there. She looked the same as always, her blonde hair blowing in the wind, her eyes dancing with laughter as she looked at him. She had changed a lot during the war, they all had, and she was a completely different person at her death then she was when he first met her. But in his mind and in his dreams, she was forever unchanged by time, and he remembered her as the girl she had been when they first met.

Sharp. Abrasive. Short tempered. Fiercely loyal to her friends.

And the only girl that he had ever loved.

_Loved_.

Past tense.

"_It's more beautiful at sunset," she murmured. "The sky is lit up red and orange and the horizon is a hazy purple. You would love it. The sand is every possible shade of yellow you could ever imagine." She cast him a sideway glance, a slight smirk playing on her features. "But I forgot, you don't like yellow." _

"It's an ugly color. Who would want to wear something that looked like that?"

"_I think it's pretty."_

"Well, you never did have good fashion sense," he quipped.

"_Oh, please, like you're one to talk. You wouldn't have worn anything other than ripped jeans and the same black t-shirt if I hadn't made you change," she shot back._

"God, you were so controlling," Michael snapped, standing up. "Nothing I did was ever good enough for you." He dusted the sand off of his jeans and huffed in irritation.

"_You never put any effort into anything, especially not our relationship. I was always the one doing everything to try and keep us together," she argued, shaking her head, blonde hair falling over annoyed eyes._

"Well, maybe if you actually listened to me, I would have had more of an incentive to make an effort," Michael replied pointedly, slanting her a look.

"_Oh, come on," she laughed suddenly. "You know you miss me." _

"Yes," Michael said heavily as he watched the phantom figure slowly fade away, the air suddenly thick and filled with sorrow. "Yes, I do."

* * *

Next Chapter: Have You No Pity? 

Due: Fri 3/24


	3. Have You No Pity?

Title: Paradise

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Author's note: I kept some of the things that happened in Season Two after the End of the World the same. These are things that were not so directly affected by Liz and Max, such as Jim Valenti loosing his job as Sheriff. That still happened. _Italics_ are memories or dreams.

* * *

Chapter Three: Have You No Pity?

_**And it's one more day in paradise  
one more day in paradise**_

Some sixth sense told Kyle he shouldn't open the door.

It was early afternoon, and Abby had just returned home from school, clutching her lunchbox in one hand and a huge lollipop in the other. Her pigtails bounced around her face as she skipped through the hallway and into the kitchen, explaining to her mother in a high pitched voice how she had won her class' spelling bee.

And then there had been a knock at the door.

And some sixth sense had told him he shouldn't open the door.

Kyle had gotten off of work earlier than usual, and come home for lunch. Jennifer was home as well, tying up some loose ends on the moving arrangements. Jim Valenti was moving into an assisted living center, although he was fighting the move every step of the way, and it was all Jennifer could do to get him to sign the papers.

And then the knock.

And he knew he shouldn't open the door.

But he did.

Two men were standing there. They were dressed all in black, designer suits and Prada sunglasses. One man carried a briefcase, the other had a file folder in one hand.

"Mr. Kyle Valenti?" the first man asked.

"Depends," Kyle replied, his eyes narrowing suspiciously. "Who's asking?"

"My name is Agent Roberts and this is Agent Johnson," the first man replied smoothly. The second man reached into the file folder and withdrew a picture which he handed to Kyle, as the first man said, "We would like to ask you a few questions."

Kyle looked down at the picture, and the color faded from his face.

It was a picture of Max.

"I don't think I have anything to say to you," Kyle replied, looking up and hoping he was wearing an expression that could pass for confusion.

"Do you know this man?" Johnson asked casually, gesturing towards the picture.

"Max Evans," Kyle said slowly, knowing it would be a bad idea to lie. "He and I went to school together. He stole my girlfriend." He looked back at the two agents, his eyes guarded.

Jennifer appeared in the doorway behind him, frowning slightly. "Kyle? Is something wrong?" she asked, gazing at the two men in wonder. Her dark hair was pulled back in a loose bun, and her brown eyes studied her husband with an appraising glance. She knew Kyle, she knew something had happened. She just didn't know what.

"Mrs. Valenti, I presume?" Roberts said with smile. He extended his hand and grasped Jennifer's firmly. "A pleasure to meet you. I'm Agent Roberts." Jennifer's eyebrows raised at the word 'agent,' and Roberts hurried on, "I just have to ask your husband a few questions, nothing to be concerned about."

Footsteps slamming on the floor signaled Abby's arrival, and she suddenly emerged behind her mother, gaping at the men outside. Both agents glanced at Abby, and Kyle clenched his fists, not liking the look in their eyes.

"Jenni, why don't you go make sure Abby has a snack?" Kyle asked, sending his wife a pointed look. She nodded, getting the silent message, he wanted his daughter kept away from these men.

Kyle stepped out onto the porch and closed the door behind him. "I really don't think I have anything to say that could help you," Kyle said coolly. It was not an uncommon experience for the FBI to ask questions, they did it a lot in these darker times. But to be asking questions about Max…

"What happened to Max Evans after graduation?" Johnson asked. "Do you know where he is? What he is doing right now?"

Kyle shrugged, glad that he did not have to lie about this one. "I have no idea. We were never really friends, we didn't keep in close touch."

"Did you ever see him again? At a high school reunion, perhaps? Did you introduce him to your wife or daughter?" Roberts asked, his eyes narrowing slightly on the last question.

Kyle tensed. "Keep my family out of this," he demanded.

"We would if you could just answer our questions," Johnson answered easily. He exchanged a look with Roberts, then continued, "Why was your father removed from his position as Sheriff?"

Kyle stared at the two men and realized there was no answer he could give to that question that would not land him in trouble. There was only one thing left to do. "I think I'm done talking to you now," he said harshly, turning and walking back into his house.

The two men watched him go, then turned to leave. Kyle Valenti knew something, and he would talk in time. With the right persuasion…

They always talked.

* * *

Max leaned back against the wall and watched as the passengers streamed into the main terminal. All around him, people called out greeting to each other and pushed through the throngs to meet their friends and family. The air echoed with the combination of shouts, wheels rolling across the floor, and the constant screeching voice in the intercom announcing arrivals and departures. The airport was always busy, which surprised him to no end as no one new ever showed up in Roswell. 

No one except skins.

How did everything end up like this?

_It had started as a tense lunch at the Crashdown. It had been Liz's idea, these weekly lunches. It was a group effort to stay together, to stay friends, despite everything that had happened. So they came together, the eight of them, and shared a meal and brief words and called it a friendship._

_Somehow, the lunch had gone from tense to bitter in a matter of moments. It was a combination of things, an accidentally knocked over glass of orange juice and Tabasco sauce, frustration over an upcoming exam, a careless comment and a sharp retort, a mocking laugh, and everything had turned sour._

_It could have been mended at the time had anyone thought to intervene. But no one did, and they all let the argument scale out of control. Tess stormed from the diner in tears, and Kyle threw a few harsh insults at Max before running after his sort-of sister. Sides had been taken, and a line had been crossed._

_Tess left the next day._

_No one tried to stop her._

_If only they had known…_

Max sighed and shook his head to clear his troubled thoughts. There was no point wasting precious time on thinking over what might have been. What was done was done, and all he could do was move forward.

He shifted his weight from one foot to the other, impatient as always. Liz would be here any moment, hurrying towards him from the hallways that twisted out of sight. He smiled as he thought of her, his entire face relaxing.

"_Liz, I love you. I loved from the first moment I saw you in third grade. I have never stopped loving you, and I never will. And I can't think of anything I want more than to spend my life with you, to grow old with you. In sickness and in health, until death do us part."_

"_Max, I love you. You opened my eyes to a world that I never realized existed, you showed me things I never thought were possible. When I'm with you, I realize just have miraculous life really is, and there is nothing in the world that I treasure more than the times that we are together. In sickness and in health, until death do us part."_

"_By the power invested in me, I now pronounce you man and wife."_

_Their parents weren't there, but Isabel, Michael, Alex, and Maria were. It was an Elvis Chapel in the middle of Las Vegas and they had eloped. It was a dimly lit, gaudily decorated chapel with a priest dressed up as a dead legend and they were nineteen. _

_And it was perfect._

Max was jolted unexpectedly from his thoughts by the sight of a familiar face, of beautiful doe eyes and straight brown hair…

"Liz."

* * *

Michael and Isabel stood side by side next to the car, watching in silence as Max and Liz exited the airport. Michael's eyes tightened slightly, a small wrinkling of the skin in between his eyebrows, and Isabel's breath slowed. It was the only sign the two gave that they felt any inner emotion. They stood there, impassive, as the past came walking towards them.

Behind Max and Liz, another girl walked. Her long red hair obscured her eyes from view, and Isabel tensed almost immediately upon seeing her. But Michael seemed to know who she was, the infamous Serena they had heard so much about, and he made no move to even acknowledge her presence as she came towards them.

"Michael. Isabel."

"Liz."

The greetings were stiff, not because they were not happy to see each other, but because they had no idea how to act now. It had been so long since they had gotten together, the four of them. And even now, they were missing four others. It should have been the eight of them, Max, Isabel, Michael, Tess, Liz, Alex, Maria, and Kyle. They should have been in this together, facing the unknown side-by-side.

They weren't.

"This is Serena," Liz murmured, gesturing towards her friend.

Serena greeted them with a slight nod of her head, and a hesitant smile. She knew they would be suspicious of her, she had only ever met Max, and even he was a little wary around her. With a secret like theirs, she understood the need for caution, but since the day she had discovered the truth about them, she had sworn never to reveal the secret.

She could only hope they would trust her in time.

Michael glanced over at Max again, and noted the way he still had his fingers wrapped tightly around Liz's hand, as though afraid to let her go. "We should get going," he said slowly, his eyes dark as he scanned the parking lot. They could never be too careful, not when their enemies lurked everywhere.

Max and Liz climbed into the car, and Isabel followed close behind. Michael gestured for Serena to get in, his eyes fixed on her with guarded caution, and then he took his seat and slammed the door shut.

They drove in silence.

Max kept glancing over at Liz, as though reassuring himself that she was really there. Michael was caught in his own memories of Maria, having Liz here only made those recollections so much more vivid, so much more painful. Isabel had lapsed into silence as well, but that was not unusual for her, not since Khivar had begun his mental attacks. Serena stared at the passing scenery, watching the colors of the desert.

They pulled into a small motel near the outskirts of Roswell, and Max parked the car. They had been traveling from place to place, living in motels and hotels, small inns and homeless shelters, anywhere they could come and leave without ever being noticed. It was a nomadic existence, running to and fro across the desert as they hunted down the skins.

But it had kept them alive.

They were outnumbered, and their ability to hide was the only advantage they had.

Max lead them to the small room and gestured Liz inside. He glanced over at Serena. "The room across the hall is Isabel's, you will be sharing it with her. It has two beds and a bathroom."

Serena nodded. She had not spoken a single word since she was first introduced, and the moment she opened her mouth to say something, Max had already turned and was issuing orders to Michael and Isabel.

"Michael, check the police log from this week, see if anyone noticed our confrontation with the skins. We need to keep it under wraps as much as possible. Izzie, try to get some sleep."

"I'm not tired," Isabel protested. "I'll help Michael."

"Isabel…" Max was not fooled, but the scared look that flashed through Isabel's eyes made him change his mind mid sentence. She was too scared to sleep, and he couldn't blame her. He clenched his fists and replied in an attempt at a casual tone, "Alright, whatever you want." He would kill Khivar for this.

The two left the room, and Serena shifted awkwardly. Liz looked down at her hands, then said quietly, "How are you doing?"

Max sighed and closed his eyes. "I'm glad you are here," he whispered, leaning in to kiss her. She kissed him back, and stars burst behind her eyelids, a reminder of the flashes she had once had so long ago.

Serena slipped unnoticed from the room. In the hallway, she ran into Michael. She licked her dry lips and looked down, unnerved by the intensity in his gaze. "I'm on your side," she muttered.

Michael shrugged. "That remains to be seen," he replied coldly. He didn't trust her, couldn't bring himself to trust anyone new since Maria had died. Although Serena had provided them with information several times over the past years, passing bits and pieces of news and gossip along to Liz who would immidiately inform Max... Still, Michael couldn't fully trust her. Maybe he would in time, but not now. Now, he was only even putting up with her sudden appearance here because of the help she had offered them...and because Liz, Maria's best friend, said she was trustworthy.

"Is it just the three of you fighting against all the…skins? Is that what you call them?" Serena asked.

Michael didn't answer. He simply turned and walked away, disappearing down the hallways to find a newspaper.

"He doesn't trust easily," Isabel commented as she stepped out of her room. "None of us do." There were dark circles under her bloodshot eyes, and her skin was pale and glistened with sweat.

She looked horrible.

"So Liz told me," Serena replied. "I want to help you, Isabel. I'm here to help." She shrugged uncomfortably and continued, "If it is just the three of you, you could probably use the help."

"We've managed to stay alive this long because there are only three of us, not in spite of it," Isabel replied icily. "The less people who know who we are, the easier it is to hide." She paused for a moment, contemplating something, then asked, "You jumped on a plane without any idea of what you were getting into, and having only met one of the three Czechoslovakians you were going to help. Why?"

"Because I wanted to feel like I was doing something worthwhile with my life," Serena answered honestly.

Isabel bit her lip. "You want out trust?" she asked softly. "Then you are going to have to earn it." She turned and walked back into her room, calling over her shoulder, "Although, you have Liz's trust, so that is a point in your favor."

* * *

"_The FBI is after you as well, Vilandra. How do you possibly hope to win?" the man asked as he advanced slowly._

_Isabel stumbled backwards, her eyes wide with fear. "We will win," she said determinedly. "You haven't found us so far, have you?"_

_He laughed, high pitched and cold. "But we will."_

"_Stay away from me," Isabel hissed furiously._

_He smiled icily. "So full of anger and passion," he murmured. "That was what I loved about you, you were such a spitfire. Still are, I suppose, though you seem to have too much misplaced loyalty. I can give you the world, and you want to stay with Zan?"_

"_He is my brother. I won't betray him," Isabel snarled, but her heart was wavering. She knew she would never betray him, but her courage was slowly fading and she was trembling with an unnatural cold that she could never escape._

"_You did once," the man pointed out._

"_Go to hell," Isabel snarled._

"_Only if you come with me," the man replied. He took a step towards Isabel and said, "You know, if we don't find you, the FBI will. They are asking questions again, and sooner or later, those questions will lead them to you."_

"_No…"_

And, yet again, Isabel woke up screaming.

* * *

"Alex? It's Max. Can you call me as soon as you get this? It's an emergency." 

Alex replayed the message over and over as he listened to the words. He bit his lip and tried to figure out what the problem could be. Did more skins attack? Had the FBI become a threat again? Or was it something else, something more benign? He and Liz were having marital problems or Isabel had turned into the Christmas Nazi again.

Alex sighed and shook his head. They hadn't had those sort of problems since the war began.

But Max wasn't hysterical, so nobody could have died.

Right?

He reached for the phone and hesitantly dialed the numbers, his free hand clutched into a fist. His nails bit into the skin of his palm, but he hardly noticed the pain. His stomach had plummeted and his heartbeat was quickly picking up speed as he thought of all the possible things that could have gone wrong.

"Alex?"

"Max? What's wrong?" Alex demanded the moment the hybrid king's voice sounded at the other end of the line.

"Can you come back to New Mexico for a few days?"

Alex paused, surprised. After Maria's death, Max had made it perfectly clear that he did not want the humans anywhere near Roswell. They had been able to help out the resistance efforts from afar, and Max didn't want to risk anything happening to his remaining friends. So the fact that he was asking Alex to return could only mean one thing.

"Isabel? Is she…?" He couldn't even form the question.

"She's not doing well." Max's voice was scared, and that alone terrified Alex. In the years since the beginning of this war, Max had grown, had become a true king. He rarely showed fear, rarely showed worry. He was a strong leader and powerful fighter, and it took a lot for him to cave like this.

"Is it the dreams?" Alex questioned hurriedly. He knew a little about what Khivar was doing, but not much. Isabel never spoke about it, and he respected her need not to talk about the horrors that haunted her while she slept. But he knew that Khivar was trying to break her, and he knew she was running out of the strength to fight.

"Yes," Max whispered. "It's the dreams." There was a silence, then max switched subjects abruptly. "Liz is here."

"What?" Alex was stunned.

"She wanted to, and I couldn't convince her otherwise," Max explained. "There are some rumors floating around that the FBI is looking into Cadmium X. If they find something…Liz wanted to be here."

Alex grinned suddenly. Of course Liz wanted to be there, they all wanted to be there. But it was so like Liz to blatantly ignore Max's request and insist on returning.

He hadn't seen Liz for a while, and if Isabel was in trouble, he needed to be there to help. It meant dropping out of college for a little while, it meant moving back into a war zone, it meant facing the danger he had left behind when he left sleepy little Roswell.

And it meant being with his family again.

"I'll catch the next plane out, Max. I'll be there as soon as possible."

* * *

It was a small article in the local newspaper, buried between a report on the mayor elections and a review of the latest movie release. It detailed a car accident, a woman had lost control of her car and driven off the side of the road. She had been killed instantly, and the car had erupted into flame. There was some speculation that the brakes had been tampered with, but because most of the car had been destroyed, there was not enough evidence to prove or disprove this theory. 

Agent Roberts crumpled the newspaper into a ball and tossed it into the garbage. He reached for the phone and dialed a number, waited until someone answered at the other end. "My deepest sympathies, Mr. Valenti," he said. "Your wife seemed like such a kind and carrying woman and mother. I hate to trouble you at a time like this, but I have a few questions I still need to ask…"

* * *

Next Chapter: House of Cards 

Due: Fri 3/31


	4. House of Cards

Title: Paradise

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Author's note: I didn't really make it clear, but in the last chapter, when Agent Roberts calls 'Mr. Valenti' he is talking to Kyle, not Jim. So it was Kyle's wife who died, and the car crash was set up by the FBI. If this is confusing, reread the first and last section of the last chapter.

Secondly, please note the time change at the beginning of this chapter.

* * *

Chapter Four: House of Cards

_**As darkness quickly steals the light  
that shined within her eyes   
she slowly swallows all her fear  
and soothes her mind with lies**_

_The flash of light left the skin's hand, expanding out in a wide arch, before slamming into the petite blonde with an incredible amount of force. She hovered in the air for a moment, a moment that seemed like an eternity, before smashing into the wall and sliding to the ground._

"_Maria!" Michael screamed out in panic, running to his girlfriend's side, his heart hammering wildly in his chest as he bent down next to her. She was still breathing, but only barely. If he could get her to Max, she would be safe, but if…_

_Two more skins appeared in the doorway of the room, advancing slowly with identical expression of triumph on their inhuman faces. "Well, if it isn't the great General Rath," one of the skins hissed, his voice grating, like nails on a chalkboard. _

_Michael stood, his eyes glowering with fury. Energy seemed to crackle under his skin, energy that he could barely contain as he faced the three foes._

"_I don't think she has long," another skin commented with a smirk, glancing at the unconscious Maria. "Not long at all…"_

"_Go to hell," Michael snarled, throwing a burst of energy from his hand. The first skin turned to dust, but the other two managed to erect force fields, protecting themselves from the hybrid's vicious onslaught._

_But Michael would not be deterred. He continued his attack, ignoring the throbbing in his head, the bruises on his torso, the blood dripping from the many wounds on his hands and arms. He was conscious of only one thing, the need to destroy the men in front of him. _

_And they fell. Finally, after relentless attacks, they fell to his power, collapsing to the ground and slipping away into dust and shreds of skin, their husks disintegrating in the air._

_Michael ran back to Maria, and saw that she had opened her eyes enough to see him. "Maria…" he whispered. _

_Maria forced a painful smile as the last bit of strength left her. As her spirit slipped away, she managed to gasp out, "Love you…" and then everything faded to black._

"Michael! Michael, wake up!"

Michael sat straight up in bed and found himself staring into the concerned topaz eyes of Isabel. She was sitting next to him on his bed, a hand placed on his shoulder, as though she had shaken him awake. Behind her, Serena stood nervously, her arms crossed over her chest, her red hair falling loosely around her face.

"I'm fine," Michael said shortly, gruffly. He shook himself away from Isabel and stood up.

"You aren't fine," Isabel retorted. "You were screaming. I could hear you all the way in my room across the hall."

Michael didn't answer, but instead looked away. "Where's Max? And Liz? Alex?"

"Max and Liz went to get food," Serena replied, taking a hesitant step towards Michael, then stopping when he shot her a warning look. "We are running low again, and now that it is the six of us…"

It had been two weeks since Liz, Serena, and Alex had come to New Mexico. Two weeks, and things had settled into a pattern. Max and Liz made sure they always had enough food, water, and shelter, Max and Michael worked on plans and counter plans for attack, and Isabel, Serena, and Alex did research, studying newspaper articles and surfing the Internet, looking for clues as to their opponent's next move.

Although Michael still refused to completely trust Serena, he had begrudgingly accepted her presence in their lives. And although Alex's presence had not helped Isabel to fight off the dreams, he did offer her the comfort she needed to make it through each day. It was a strange sort of existence, living from one moment to the next. Everything was precariously balanced, and one misstep would make it all fall.

"And Alex?" Michael repeated, shifting his gaze back to Isabel. "Where's he?"

"There was another incident," Isabel said slowly, casting an apprehensive look over at Serena. "A few hours ago…" She licked her lips. "Alex is looking into what happened."

"What did happen?" Michael demanded, walking over to his bed and sinking onto the blankets. His voice was weary, the kind of exhaustion that is never entirely physical. He was tired.

They were all tired.

"A explosion of some sort," Serena said quietly when Isabel made no move to answer. "It was out in the desert, like someone had tried to blow up rocks. Eyewitnesses said it looked as though a comet had hit Earth."

"And this concerns us because…?" Michael frowned, glancing between the two girls. What weren't they telling him?

"It was near the pod chamber," Isabel muttered.

Michael accepted this quietly, knowing what the implied fear was. He rubbed a hand over his face, thinking. An image of Maria appeared in his head, and he blinked twice to chase it away. At last, he stated, "The skins have located the pod chamber, and now they are trying to get in."

"Yes."

Michael glanced at the other two girls. "You should go help Alex with the research. See if we can figure out how the skins know where the pod chamber is, given that they hadn't been able to figure that out earlier."

"But…" Isabel started to protest. Michael stopped her with another glare, and she nodded and turned away, slipping out of the room. Serena hesitated, then hurried after Isabel. She caught up with the other girl in the hallway and reached out to stop her, needing to ask a question.

"He was screaming."

Isabel turned to face Serena, and answered the implied question, "He was dreaming about Maria." She pushed her hair out of her face and glanced up and down the empty hallway. "He was dreaming about how she died."

Serena nodded. She had heard of Maria's death from Liz, but no one had ever told her all the details, and she had not asked. Not wanting to pry any further, Serena turned away and glanced back at the closed door, behind which she knew Michael was sitting, alone.

* * *

Alex stared at the pictures on the computer screen. He was sitting in a small cybernet café, surfing the web in an attempt to discover more about the explosion. He was currently looking through _The Truth of the Abductees_, one of his favorite websites. Although most of the information here was not even plausible, the site occasionally posted something useful, and today was one such day.

It was a link to a set of pictures that some backyard astrologer had taken. It showed the desert bursting into light and energy.

In the distance, Alex could just make out the tiny shadows near the pod chamber, shadows he assumed belonged to skins.

Alex scrolled further down the page and glanced at some more of the photos. They showed the same things, only this time the light had partially faded away, and the shadows were no longer visible.

The last set up pictures were taken with a high-resolution telescope lens, one that allowed the photographer to zoon in on something several yards away. They were taken during day light hours, obviously after the explosion. They showed the ground around the pod chamber. It was trampled by footsteps, and small shards of something twisted and dark lay around the base of the cliffs.

The caption below the pictures read, 'Aliens attempt to destroy desert.'

Alex stared at the writing for a few minutes, wondering why anyone would think that aliens would need to destroy a desert? As far as he knew, none of the aliens he met felt particularly threatened by sand and rocks.

He closed the browser and opened a new site. _They Are Among Us_ was never particularly useful, but he enjoyed reading the comments posted on the message board. Several depicted detailed encounters with aliens in which the aliens tried to kill the human, but said human managed to escape through very improbable and completely unbelievable circumstances.

And sure enough, there were postings about this last incident.

One man single handedly took on three aliens with 'large guns that shot electricity and ice bullets,' and escaped by throwing himself off a cliff and creating a parachute out of his jacket as he was falling. Another observed two aliens about to kill a girl and harvest her brain (what was it with people thinking that aliens were after human brains?), and had intervened and managed to save the girl using rocks and pencils as his only weapons.

Alex read a few more, then shook his head and sighed. There was nothing useful here, nothing to give him any clues on how the skins had discovered the location of the pod chamber. None of the hybrids had been near the pod chamber during the past several years, so it seemed unlikely that someone had simply spied on them…

So how did the skins know?

Alex stood up and stretched, glancing around the almost completely empty café. He turned and walked towards the door, lost in thought, his mind traveling back to the images on the first website.

He was halfway through the door when an idea occurred to him, and he turned and walked back to the computer. Quickly pulling up the pictures again, he scrolled down to the bottom and stared at the pictures of the desert in the day light.

The black, twisted…was it metal?

He frowned. As far as he knew, no alien needed anything other than their own power to make something explode. And, even more than that, the skins were always incredibly careful about cleaning up after themselves, leaving no trace behind, no clue that could lead the hybrids to them.

So where had this metal come from?

Alex blinked.

What if it wasn't the skins that had tried to get into the pod chamber? After all, the pod squad had more than one enemy. What is the metal was part of a human-made explosive? What if…?

* * *

Kyle carefully placed the flowers next to the grave marker and straightened up. He wiped the tears out of his eyes and shivered. He pulled the coat tighter around his body, then glanced over at the side of the graveyard where his father stood.

Jim Valenti had changed over the years. He seemed so much older than he really was, his face lined, his eyes shadowed. Time had taken its toll on him, time and the secret of the aliens.

Kyle stood and walked towards his father, his face heavy.

Jim reached out a placed a hand on his son's arm. He shook his head in frustration, and looked over at the grave. "Come on, son," he muttered. "Let's go home."

It had been two weeks since the accident, and Kyle came out here every afternoon to place flowers at Jenni's grave, so that she would never be forgotten. Sometimes Jim came as well, sometimes Kyle would bring Abby. And they would stand in silence, each remembering the past, and thinking over what they thought had happened.

Because Kyle had never told his father or his daughter what he knew to be true.

It was no accident.

Abby was to young, too innocent, too understand, and Jim was too… Kyle sighed and ran a hand through his hair as he followed his father back to the parking lot near the entrance of the cemetery. His father simply wouldn't understand why he had been forced to do what he had done, why he had told the FBI…

He shook his head, not wanting to remember that conversation.

But the memories flooded back, no matter how hard he tried to push them away. He had not wanted to say anything, but they had demanded answers, and their veiled threats to Abby's life had been enough to make him talk.

How could he not?

"_My deepest sympathies, Mr. Valenti. Your wife seemed like such a kind and carrying woman and mother. I hate to trouble you at a time like this, but I have a few questions I still need to ask…"_

"_Agent Roberts, I have nothing to say to you," Kyle replied, clutching the phone tightly in one hand as he watched his daughter sleep on the sofa, her face lined with tearstains. _

"_Mr. Valenti," the smooth voice replied, "I understand that you are grieving, and I honestly do not want to create any more trouble for you than absolutely necessary. But this is a matter of national security, and I simply must ask you these questions…"_

_Kyle was tempted, damn near tempted, to slam the phone down. But some sixth sense told him not to, and he knew these men would never stop chasing him unless they got what it was they wanted._

_So what was he supposed to do?_

_His answer was provided for him in the FBI agent's next words. "We are trying to protect people, Mr. Valenti. People like you daughter. She's just a little girl, and unless our enemies are defeated, something might happen to her… You want what is best for her, don't you?"_

_Kyle bit his lip and shot another look over at Abby. He couldn't let anything happen to her, but how could he sell the aliens out? How could he ever live with himself if he did that to them?_

_So he settled for a compromise, a way of protecting his daughter and the aliens at the same time. "I can't tell you anything about the people you are looking for, Agent Roberts, because I simply have not been in touch with them for the past decade. But I can give you the location of something else, something I am sure would interest you."_

"_I'm listening…"_

"_On one condition." Kyle walked over to Abby and ran a hand over her hair, watching as she rolled over in her sleep. "You keep my daughter…safe."_

"_Nothing will happen to her, Mr. Valenti," the voice replied, growing excited as he sensed he was reaching his goal. _

_Kyle drew a breath. "There's a cave. In the desert…"_

Kyle ran his hand over the hot metal of the car and pulled the door open for his father, helping Jim climb into the front seat. He walked around to the other side and yanked his own door open, using more force than was actually necessary. Then he slipped into the driver's seat and stuck the keys into the ignition, bringing the car to life.

It wasn't really selling them out. He had to tell himself that every day, and every day he didn't quite believe it. But there was no way the FBI could get into the cave, not without an alien to open the door for them. So, in a way, he had managed to protect his daughter without really…

Oh, who was he kidding?

He had sold them out.

But what else was he supposed to do?

Kyle cast a sidelong look at his father, who was staring out of the passenger window, watching as the scenery flew by. Jim would never understand. He still believed himself to be in Max's debt from the one time, so many years ago, when Max had saved Kyle's life. In return, Jim had lost his job, his reputation, his dignity. And Kyle had lost his wife… How many times would they be forced to repay that favor? What would it take until they were finally even?

Abby's death?

That was one step too far.

And when Kyle looked at it that way, he suddenly found he didn't feel as guilty any more.

* * *

"Wait, you think the FBI is behind this?" Max asked, staring at the picture Alex had handed him. He traced his hand over the shape of the rocks, remembering the first time he had seen the pod chamber. He could quite clearly picture everyone's faces as they stood in the dimly lit cave, listening to the message his mother sent.

"Well, I don't think it is alien, and I don't know who else would have done it," Alex replied.

They were gathered together in Max and Liz's hotel room, perched on the edge of the beds, listening to Alex's report. Liz wrapped her arms tightly around herself and glanced over at Max, worry etched into the lines of her face. Isabel and Alex exchanged a look, and Serena leaned forward to peer at the picture. Michael stared impassively ahead, his mind working quickly behind dark eyes.

"Then who told the FBI where it was?" Michael demanded at last. "They've been looking for it for about a decade now, and haven't found it. We are the only ones who knew the location, and none of us told."

"Maybe they were lucky?" Serena ventured.

Max shook his head. "No," he said. "It had to have been more than luck." Michael and Isabel nodded in agreement.

"We aren't the only ones who know the location," Liz murmured suddenly. All eyes swung to her, and she sighed and continued, "Kyle and Jim Valenti knew as well."

"But would they sell us out?" Max replied. "I may never have been Kyle's biggest fan, but I can't imagine that he would do that to us." He stood up and began to pace, confused thoughts running through his head.

"What's in the pod chamber?" Serena said abruptly, breaking the tense silence.

The three hybrids exchanged brief glances, a silent conversation passing between them. Then Isabel said slowly, "The Granolith."

"The Granolith?" Serena echoed, confused. "What is that?"

"It is a source of power that we have to protect from anyone and everyone else at all costs," Michael cut in. He too stood up and started to pace.

"Power?"

"It's our way home," Max murmured. "Several years ago, Alex managed to decode this book that told us everything about it and how to use it and that sort of thing. It is our way home."

"_This_ is our home," Isabel protested. She turned to Max, tilting her chin up to look at him. "This is where we belong."

"We don't belong anywhere," Michael retorted. He walked back to the bed and sunk down onto the pillows.

Alex cleared his throat, drawing attention to himself. He glanced at all the other faces in the room and said quietly, "We need a plan of action. The FBI might not be able to get into the pod chamber, but if they know where it is, they could lead the skins there by accident."

"And the last thing we want is for the skins to find the Granolith," Liz agreed solemnly. She ran a hand through her hair, chewing thoughtfully on her bottom lip. "But I'm not really sure how we can protect the Granolith now. Not with the FBI knowing…"

"How did the Granolith get into the pod chamber?" Serena asked, glancing from Liz to Max. "Can it be moved?"

Max shook his head. "It's built into the floor of the cave," he replied. "As for how it got there, I'm not sure. That wasn't in the book, and I never got a chance to ask Tess before…" He let the sentence drift, not wanting to finish it, not wanting to send his thoughts along that dark path.

Serena pushed a few strands of hair out of her eyes and frowned. She had heard bits and pieces about Tess from Liz, but never enough to truly understand the story. And she still did not feel welcome enough among the hybrids to start asking questions about what she knew was a painful subject.

So she said nothing.

The group lapsed into silence. Max took a seat next to Liz, wrapping his arm around her. She leaned her head on his shoulder, dark hair falling over her eyes. Alex held one of Isabel's hands in his own, rubbing circles on her palm. Michael sat in between the two couples, hunched over, and Serena leaned against the headboard of the bed, watching them.

It looked so _right_, she realized suddenly. Alex and Isabel, Max and Liz… and somehow she knew that Michael and Maria had looked right as well. Despite everything, this was the way it was supposed to be, and they were a family.

But at the same time, she could see the cracks and fissures that spread through the group, the tiny points that separated them, the loss and pain and grief that stretched between each person. So much history… so many experiences. Love and loss, joy and heartbreak…

It was a precariously balanced house of cards.

And Serena couldn't help but wonder how much longer it would last.

* * *

Next Chapter: All I Ask Of You

Due: Fri 4/7


	5. All I Ask of You

Title: Paradise

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Author's note: Some people have been asking if I am going to elaborate on why Tess left. Well, the answers is no, I'm not. I think everyone has their own idea on what could have forced Tess out. In the first and in the third chapter I give a vague description that it was a fight that arose from a whole bunch of little things, and I think that is what I am going to leave it as. I will, however, elaborate on how Tess died, and how the other aliens knew that she had died.

* * *

Chapter Five: All I Ask of You

_**Well all she wants and all she needs  
are reasons to survive  
a day in which the sun will take  
her artificial light... her light**_

Liz punched the number into the pay phone and glanced around her worriedly. She knew the others would not be thrilled with what she was doing, but it had been two days since the attack on the pod chamber, and she couldn't stay quiet any longer. The more she thought about it, the more she knew she was right. The FBI couldn't have just found the cave, not when they didn't even know it existed. Someone had to have told them, and unless the skins had decided to team up with the FBI, then there were only two people in the world who could have revealed the secret.

He answered the phone on the third ring.

"Hello?"

"Kyle? It's Liz," Liz said hurriedly. "Is this a bad time?"

There was a pause at the other end of the line, then Kyle replied, almost hesitantly, "Not any worse than any other time. But I don't have long. What's up?"

"I need to ask you a question about the pod chamber," Liz said, lowering her voice. There was no one around here, that was why she had chosen this particular pay phone to call from, but she still couldn't help fear the chance that someone was listening.

"I told you I don't want to have anything to do with that sort of thing," came Kyle's sharp reply.

Liz nodded, even though she knew he couldn't see her. "I know, Kyle, but this is important."

"It's always important," Kyle snapped. "And my family always seems to suffer from it."

"You aren't the only one who suffered," Liz replied quietly, her thoughts going to Maria.

There was a long pause, then Kyle said stiffly, "I'm sorry. I know that we've all lost people." Again, there was a pause, then he continued, "But you've always respected my decision to stay out of the alien life before. What changed this time?"

"The FBI knows where the pod chamber is," Liz said in a hushed tone. "They tried to break into it."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Kyle deadpanned. "I still don't see what that has to do with me?"

"How did they know?" Liz asked harshly, realizing she needed to be direct. Kyle was never going to answer her implied accusation. "None of us told them, how could they have figured out where it was?"

"Maybe they got lucky," Kyle replied dryly.

Liz shook her head, again knowing that Kyle couldn't see the movement. "They didn't even know it existed. How could they get lucky?"

"Just come out and say it, Liz," Kyle replied wearily. "Say that you are accusing me of working with the FBI."

Liz swallowed. "Did you? Did you tell them?"

"Would you believe me if I said I didn't?" Kyle questioned, and his tone was slightly curious.

And Liz answered honestly, "I don't know." She ran a hand through her hair, then said, "Look, the others don't think you did. At least, they want to believe that you wouldn't betray us. And I want to believe that also."

"Then believe it," Kyle ordered brusquely. There was another pause, then Kyle continued, "Why are you even bothering calling me? Since you already seem to have your mind made up…"

"I don't!" Liz protested, and knew even as she said the words that they weren't true. She did have her mind made up, not because she didn't trust Kyle, but because she couldn't see any other possibility. "Look, I came to you because I wanted to know if you had a reason. If Max or Michael thought that you had betrayed us, they would kill you and then ask questions. I… I still care about you, Kyle. And I still trust you, and if you did talk to the FBI, then I want to know why. Because I believe that you must have had a good reason for doing what you did."

"I talked," Kyle admitted slowly.

Liz sucked in a sharp breath. "Why?" she whispered.

"Because I didn't have a choice," Kyle snapped, and there was anger in his voice.

"You always have a choice," Liz retorted.

"They killed Jenni!"

"What?" For a moment Liz was completely speechless, unable to understand what Kyle had said. Once her mind finally comprehended the meaning, her heart stopped.

"It was in the paper," Kyle sneered, "but then you guys never did pay attention to anything that didn't directly affect you."

"Oh, Kyle, I'm so sorry…"

"Save it, Liz," Kyle snapped. "I don't want your sympathy. I don't have a use for it anymore." He was breathing heavily, and Liz could hear the sound of his breath through the phone. "They killed Jenni and they threatened Abby so I told them what they wanted to know. I didn't give them any details about you, and I didn't tell them how to get into the pod chamber. I did everything I could to keep you safe while trying to protect my daughter. But Abby's life comes first, and I had to tell them something."

And then the line went dead.

Liz hung up the receiver and turned around. She glanced about the empty sidewalk and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath of the cool air. She now knew exactly how the FBI had found out about the pod chamber, but she wasn't sure what to do with that information. If she told Max or Michael she had no doubt that they _would_ want revenge on Kyle, and she wasn't sure that they would think clearly or logically in pursuing that vengeance. She cared about Kyle too much to let the two hybrids hurt him, but at the same time, he had put them in grave danger.

How long ago had Jenni died? They hadn't known, hadn't even called to offer him their condolences. And if the FBI had really killed her to get Kyle to talk, then Kyle would see this as one more person he had lost because of the aliens.

Could she blame him for what he had done?

Could she forgive him for putting them in danger?

She sighed. She needed to get back to the motel before they started worrying about her. For now, she could lie about what she knew, but sooner or later she was going to have to tell Max the truth.

And there would be hell to pay when she did.

* * *

Nicolas barely glanced up as the man entered the room. The skin general was leaning over a table, staring at maps and battle plans, trying to figure out his next move. The man who entered waited patiently, knowing not to interrupt Nicolas' thinking. The silence stretched out for a long moment, but finally Nicolas looked up and nodded.

"What is it, Tial?"

Tial smiled grimly. "There has been quite a lot of activity in the desert of late," he replied. Stepping forward, he placed a few pictures on the table in front of Nicolas. "Things come from… well, not the most reliable source, but I think they may be of interest nonetheless."

Nicolas reached for the first picture and studied it closely. Men dressed in black, clearly the FBI, preparing…was that explosives? Were they trying to break into something? He sorted through the pictures, then picked up another one. It showed two men standing in front of what looked like a tall rocky wall. It was a rock formation in the desert, one that Nicolas recognized, but had never really given anymore than just a passing glance.

He looked at Tial. "What do you think they are doing?" he asked quietly, already knowing the answer.

"We know that the FBI is after the remainder of the Royal Four," Tial replied eagerly. "And we know that they tend to do things a little more…discreet. They would not try to blow up rocks in the desert unless they had something very important to gain."

"Important?" Nicolas murmured, his eyes lighting up with anticipation and greed.

"Like the Granolith," Tial replied.

"How would they know where the Granolith was?" Nicolas argued, trying to poke holes in the theory. Not because he wanted there to be holes, quite the opposite. He wanted to guarantee that there weren't holes, and he had learned from experience that playing the devil's advocate was the best way to do that.

"Perhaps there was a leak?" Tial suggested. He seemed a little disconcerted by the question because all the skins knew that the hybrids and their human friends would not betray each other. So where would the leak have come from?

Nicolas considered this for a moment, then nodded. "It is possible…" he said, although his tone betrayed his disbelief. He looked at the picture again. There was no mistaking it, the FBI were clearly trying to uncover something. And whatever they were trying to find, it would be worth it for the skins to find it first.

"Very well," Nicolas said at last, bestowing a rare smile on Tial. "I will inform Khivar of the latest development." He placed the picture back on the table, and Tial, recognizing a dismissal when he heard one, slipped from the room.

Nicolas walked to the window of the room and stared out at the bright sky. It was a brilliant shade a blue, without a single cloud in sight. It never failed to amaze him how warm and cheerful the New Mexico desert could appear despite the war that was being fought on its sand and soil.

It was a maze of intrigue and silent attacks, but it was a war all the same. There were three sides, each fighting against the other two. Although the FBI probably did not realize that it was fighting two different groups of aliens. Typical for humans to be so oblivious.

Nicolas shook his head in contempt. He never understood why the Resistance sent the hybrids of the Royal Four to Earth. To a planet so backward that its inhabitants only used tiny fractions of their brains. It made no sense.

But it did make things easier for Khivar and his skins.

Nicolas sighed and looked away from the window, his mind traveling back to his last encounter with the Queen. It had been the day that they had struck the first blow, the day that the Queen, and therefore any chance for an Heir to the Antarian throne, had died.

_Tess tucked a strand of hair behind one ear and pulled a newspaper from the stand. She handed the vender a few dollar bills and unrolled the paper, scanning the front page. There was nothing too interesting among the headlines, because newspapers no longer reported the actual news. Now it was always filled with stories about celebrity weddings and juicy political scandals and anything that would sell._

_Nicolas watched her in silence. It had taken a while to find her, but he had managed it at last. When rumors had first come to the skins that the Queen had broken off from the others, it had been received with skepticism. Surely someone would have explained to the Royal Four that they were strongest when they were together? Surely they must know that separating would be akin to signing their own death warrants._

_But the rumors had been validated, and the skins set off to find the wayward Queen. On her own, she was an easy target. She was the best trained of all of them, but she still didn't have the power needed to defeat all the skins that were after her._

_Or, at least, that's what they had thought._

Nicolas sighed and rubbed his eyes, pushing away the memory. Years later, and he still remembered the way his skin had burned as the fire surrounded him.

He had followed her back to her apartment, and several other skins had joined him. They had walked into the apartment without knocking, and found her sitting in the small living room reading a magazine. She had looked up, and recognized them instantly.

And the battle had started.

Nicolas still wasn't sure when exactly it had happened. One moment, she was loosing drastically, unable to continually protect herself from the onslaught of the six attacking skins. The next moment she had let out a weird, twisted shriek, and the room was filled with a raging fire that consumed everything in its path.

Nicolas had been the only one to escape alive.

He had blasted the Queen, throwing her across the room and knocking her unconscious against the wall. He had then crawled to her side through the haze of smoke and placed his hand on her chest, using his power to stop her heart. It was a strange sensation, to feel a beating heart suddenly become silent.

And then he had fought his way from the room , using his powers to extinguish the fire in his path. He made it down the stairs, out of the building, and safely into an alley, and then he had collapsed, drained, in the shadows.

And had woken up several hours later to discover that the place was swarming with firemen and police, but he had gone unnoticed, hidden safely away.

It was ironic, also, to note that the bizarre fire was one of the many things that had first caused the FBI to start asking questions again.

* * *

_He were standing in the long shadow of a tall cliff. The air was cool, the sand warm. There was a certain beauty to the desert at this time, a beauty difficult to describe, to categorize. The sky was red and purple, and the sun sank slowly behind the hills._

_She approached warily. It was different from the other dreams. It was peaceful, calm, quiet._

_And it scared her._

_What horrible things did he have planned?_

_Khivar turned and studied Isabel with a soft gaze. For a moment, he seemed almost gentle. "Vilandra," he purred, stepping forwards and extending a hand towards her._

_Isabel placed her own hand in his, and looking down was surprised to find that she was wearing gloves. Long white silk gloves, and a white dress that fell all the way to her feet, sweeping around her as she walked. Her hair was curled, and twisted back into an elaborate bun, loose tendrils falling by her face, tiny diamonds and rubies woven into her hair. Her neck was adorned with a simple silver chain, and chandelier earrings fell from her ears._

"_You wore that on your wedding day," Khivar commented. "You looked radiant, and there was not a single man there who did not envy Rath." He drew Isabel closer to him. "But when you took your vows, I knew that it was me that you held in your heart."_

_Isabel yanked her hand out of his grasp. "I'm not Vilandra," she hissed. "Not anymore."_

"_Oh, but you are," Khivar countered. "You can never escape the person inside of you, no matter how hard you try. If you are not careful, history will repeat itself again and again."_

"_Not this time, Khivar," Isabel snarled. "I hate you."_

"_No," Khivar said simply, confidently. "No, you don't."_

_Isabel took a few steps away from him. "Why are you doing this to me?" she whispered, looking around the rocky landscape. "Just let me go." She was almost begging now._

"_I can't," Khivar said regretfully. "I love you too much."_

"_You don't love me," Isabel answered spitefully. "You don't know the meaning of the word love."_

_Khivar laughed. "And you do?" he asked mockingly._

"_What's that supposed to mean?" Isabel demanded angrily._

"_Rath worshiped the very ground you walked on. There was nothing he wouldn't do for you, no lengths he wouldn't go to for your happiness. But you… you were cold, indifferent. You didn't care for him at all, and you never bothered to hide it. The man would have given you everything…"_

"_Shut up!" Isabel hissed._

"_But you were in love with me," Khivar continued relentlessly. "So perhaps it isn't that you don't know the meaning of the world love, perhaps it is that you don't know the meaning of respect. After all, it is respect you should have shown your husband, if nothing else."_

"_And it is respect you should have shown you king!" Isabel shot back, her face flushed as she tried to back away. The rocks around her feet came loose and she stumbled, falling to the ground. Looking up, she realized that Khivar had come closer to her, that he was standing over her, staring down with such an intense gaze that she could not look away._

"_All I ask of you now is to love me as you did then," Khivar whispered, and his voice floated in the air, echoing softly._

Isabel awoke with a gasp, and looked around the darkened room. The shades were drawn, blocking out the afternoon sun. She blinked and rubbed her eyes, trying to remember why she was asleep in the middle of the day. Then the memory came back to her. Max had ordered her to get some sleep after she had almost collapsed in their morning meeting.

She rolled over and glanced at the other side of the bed. Alex was lying there, fast asleep. She remembered that he had crawled into the bed and promised to stay there well she slept. Promised to keep her safe.

She smiled and pressed a kiss onto his forehead. "Sleep tight," she murmured, then straightened and glanced at the clock. It was 3:45, which meant that, if she left now, it would give her just enough time…

* * *

Michael sat perched on the edge of the bed, watching as Max paced the hotel room restlessly. Frustration and fear radiated from hybrid king in great waves. His entire body was tense, his hands clenched tightly into fists.

"We need to do something," Max said at last.

"What?" Michael asked slowly. "Anything we do risks exposure or walking into a trap."

"But if we do nothing, the FBI will continue to try and break into the pod chamber," Max pointed out.

"They'll never succeed," Michael countered. "No amount of human technology can break into the Granolith chamber."

"But the skins could. And if Khivar is paying attention to the FBI's activities like we think he is… Sooner or later they will discover the location of the Granolith," Max pointed out.

"What makes you think they haven't already?" Michael argued.

"All the more reason to act quickly," Max replied.

"Unless we are already too late," Michael retorted.

"Not doing anything will get us killed," Max snapped in frustration.

"I know," Michael agreed readily. "But running into some situation that we know nothing about simply because we are in a hurry will get us killed as well. We need an actual plan."

Max nodded and took a seat on the chair across from Michael. "So, what's our plan?"

Michael shook his head slowly. "We've known all along that we are not strong enough to take the skins in an all-out battle. Whatever we do, it has to be guerilla warfare."

"We've been doing that for the past decade,' Max replied heatedly. "And what exactly has it accomplished?"

"It's kept us alive," Michael answered simply.

"Not all of us," Max said without thinking. The moment the words were out of his mouth, he regretted them, but it was too late to change what he had said. He watched as the shutters dropped over Michael's eyes and silently cursed his stupidity for saying something that insensitive.

"True." Michael ground out the word. He looked away for a moment, then continued, "Without Tess, I just don't think we have any other choice. We aren't strong enough."

Max sighed and nodded, thinking back to the events of his junior year of high school. So many things that he had done wrong, that they had all done wrong, and Tess had left. It had been shortly after they had met their dupes, shortly after he and Liz had gone to New York.

Rath and Lonnie had somehow tricked him into believing that attending the summit was a good idea. He had gone, and Liz had offered to accompany him, knowing he would not want to go by himself. Tess had been pushed to the side enough times in the previous weeks that she did not offer to go, but instead stayed with her own dupe, who had backed out at the last minute. She urged Max to do the same, claiming that if Ava did not trust the other dupes, then she didn't either.

The fact that Ava had refused to go with Lonnie and Rath should have set off warning bells in Max's mind, but it didn't. After he had left, Tess had forced the truth about Lonnie and Rath out of her double, and, realizing the danger that Max was in, went to Isabel and Michael for help. They had been unable to warn Max because he was so far away, and it was only luck and a miracle that Liz and Max had escaped from New York unscathed.

But things between Tess and Max had gone from bad to worse in a matter of days. Tess had been furious that Max hadn't listened to her when she told him not to go to New York, and started arguments about it more than once. Max, for his part, had been angry that Tess couldn't just let the subject go, and had said one too many things he knew he would regret later.

And then the fight in the Crashdown.

And Tess had left.

They didn't hear anything from her for a while, and then Max had dreamt about her. Or, rather, about her death. When he closed his eyes at night, he could still feel the burning flames, smell the smoke in the air. And he could feel the way her heart had slowly stopped beating as Nicolas pressed his hand against her chest.

The next day, they had read the news in the New York Times. A fire, a young girl killed… And that was when they knew the war had truly started.

The door flew open, and Liz entered, breathless and worried. Behind her, Alex appeared, his hair disheveled, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"Isabel's gone."

* * *

It was exactly like her dream. The shadow of the cliff spread outward, providing shade from the sinking sun. The air was cool, but the rocks and sand below her feet were warm to the touch. There was a slight breeze, not too strong, the rustled through her hair.

And he was standing with his back to her.

At the sound of her footsteps on the sand, he turned and smiled. "Vilandra," he murmured, walking towards her. "I wasn't sure you would come."

"I came," Isabel replied steely, her eyes narrowed. "I came to make it stop."

"The dreams?" Khivar asked. He smiled to himself, shaking his head. "They won't stop, Vilandra. You can't make them stop."

"But I can stop you," Isabel snarled.

Khivar laughed. "You think that will make the dreams stop?" He took a few steps towards her until he was standing almost directly in front of her, until she could feel his breath on her face. "The dreams are not all my doing, Vilandra. As long as there is some my Vilandra within you, she will remember the past, and she will torment you with it until you give in."

"I am not your Vilandra," Isabel hissed. "I never was and never will be."

Khivar shrugged and turned away. "You can't escape who you are, no matter how hard you try." He stared up at the evening sky. "Trust me, Vilandra. You can't ever escape yourself."

Isabel shivered and looked down at the ground. "What are you doing here?" she asked at last. "I didn't think you would come to Earth."

"It is my first trip," Khivar admitted. "We perfected a new technology that allows us to travel across the universe almost instantaneously." He turned back to Isabel. "That's why I am here. Come back with me. Come home."

"I am home," Isabel replied bitterly. "And I'm not going anywhere."

"Of course you are," Khivar whispered. "Why else would you have come to meet me here?"

"What?"

Khivar laughed quietly. "How did you know the dream was real? How did you know that I would actually be here, at this cliff, waiting for you? How did you even know which cliff it was, there are many in the desert that look like this?" Isabel said nothing, so Khivar continued, "Because, Vilandra, you felt the pull to me, and to Antar. You knew this was your chance to come home, and you followed your heart and your instinct and it lead you here."

"It lead me here so that I could end it," Isabel said defiantly. "So that I could be free of you forever. _That's_ why I am here." And she raised her hand and sent a bolt of energy towards Khivar.

He lifted his hand casually and conjured an energy field, protecting himself from Isabel's attack. Isabel continued relentlessly, energy flowing from her in great waves as she slowly advanced on her enemy. Khivar backed away until he was pressed up against the cliff.

"Vilandra, stop this," Khivar ordered harshly. Then, in a softer tone, he continued, "Don't make me hurt you."

"You already have," Isabel laughed darkly. "I'm making sure you won't do it again."

Khivar suddenly waved his hand, and the force field disappeared. He waved his hand again, and Isabel went flying backwards. She crashed to the ground, winded, and tried to pull herself to her knees as Khivar walked towards her.

"Don't be a fool. You aren't strong enough to defeat me," Khivar murmured, crouching down next to Isabel. "Come home with me."

Isabel raised both her hand and shoved them into Khivar's chest, using her powers to throw him through the air and away from her. Then she struggled to her feet and said, "I am here for my freedom, and nothing is going to stop me from getting it."

And she attacked again.

But this time, Khivar returned the attack in earnest, forcing Isabel around in a circle until her back was pressed up against the cliff. Then he stepped closed to her and whispered in her ear, "If you really want your freedom, my love, I will give it to you…"

Isabel barely had time to register the hand pressed against her chest, barely had time to comprehend the sudden catch in the beating of her heart, and then she crumpled to the ground and the world faded to black.

Khivar stared at the dead body of his love for a moment, then turned and walked away.

* * *

Next Chapter: The Angel of Death 

Due: Sunday 4/16


	6. The Angel of Death

Title: Paradise

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Author's note: I'm so sorry for the two week delay on this, I was in the hospital and unable to access a computer. In response to a review from the last chapter, I forgot that Isabel and Michael were only betrothed and not married in their past lives. As for them being in love, I personally like to think that Rath and Vilandra and Zan and Ava were in love, simply because I am a hopeless romantic. Obviously, there must have been political gains from both those marriages as well. However, for people who don't like the idea that the Royal Four were in love, I should point out that it was Khivar who said this, and it was while he was tormenting Isabel, so I would hardly say that his words are trustworthy. He could have just been trying to cause Isabel pain. The poem at the end of the chapter is called 'Angel of Death' and it is by an unknown author.

* * *

Chapter Five: The Angel of Death 

_**And it's one more day in paradise  
one more day in paradise  
it's one more day in paradise  
one last chance to feel alright... alright**_

The two grave markers stood side by side, each baring the same simple design. White marble with a short engraving etched into it. One of the markers was old and worn, the other bright and new. Two markers for two heroes killed in a war no one knew was being fought.

The desert ground was scattered with white lilies, soft and delicate petals creating small heaps that dotted the landscape. The wind blew sand into the air, and tiny grains fell over the flowers, partially burying them.

They gathered silently at the two graves. Max was dressed in black, matching his dismal expression. Rage burned in his eyes, an expression so different from the gentle smiles that used to grace his features. But that was a long time ago and so much had changed.

Michael stood slightly behind Max. His face was unemotional, and who knew what thoughts lingered behind those unreadable eyes. His entire stance was tense, as though he was expecting to be attacked at any moment.

Liz and Alex held hands, each taking strength from the other. Alex's face was a picture of grief, and several times he opened his mouth as though to say something, only to shut it again and stifle a sob. Tears slipped from Liz's eyes and made their way down her cheeks. She had never been great friends with Isabel, but somehow in the past decade they had grown to accept each other, and now Liz could barely comprehend life without the statuesque alien princess.

Serena stood to the side, feeling slightly out of place. How could she possibly understand the grief that the others were going through? Was it wrong of her to be there, to intrude of their lives like this? How could she offer them comfort?

There was nothing to say, no funeral service, no eulogy, no condolences. No one could bring themselves to speak, and they simply stood there in silence as the sun sank slowly behind the distant hills and the sky turned inky black. After a while, Max turned and walked away. Liz gave Alex's hand one last squeeze, then hurried off after her husband. She caught up with him and placed a hand on his shoulder, and he looked at her, his haunted eyes filled with tears that wouldn't fall. Liz swallowed back the lump in her throat and linked arms with him, and the two walked slowly away.

Alex watched them go, then he sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He took a few hesitant steps towards Isabel's grave, then dropped to his knees, resting his hands on the bed of lily petals scattered directly in front of the stone.

"I love you," he whispered, breaking the silence. "I always have and I always will." With those simple words, he rose and turned away, unable to stay a moment longer at the grave.

Serena watched Alex leave. She wanted to go with him, but something held her to the spot, something forced her to stay and watch Michael as he stood there. Of the aliens, he was the one she understood the least. She wondered vaguely what he had been like before Maria's death, wondered how the event had changed him.

A few minutes passed before Serena built up the courage to say anything. But when she finally opened her mouth, she realized she didn't know what to say. So she said nothing, and a few more moments of silence passed.

Michael tore his eyes away from Isabel's grave marker and turned his attention to the one next to it. It was ironic, in a way, that the two women were buried next to each other. On one side was the wife from his past, on the other the love from him present. The two sides of him, alien and human, both buried together in this lonely stretch of desert.

"Are you alright?"

Michael glanced back at Serena and frowned. He hadn't really noticed the others leaving, but now he was alone with the strange girl he didn't know that well. She was staring at him with sympathetic green eyes, her red hair blowing around in the wind.

"Sorry," Serena muttered, flushing slightly. "That was a stupid question. Of course you aren't okay." She swallowed and looked away, unsure of what else to say.

"You should head back with Max and the others. It isn't safe to be out here," Michael announced, and Serena got the feeling he was simply trying to get rid of her.

"Then it isn't safe for you either," Serena pointed out. She rubbed her hands over her arms, suddenly cold. Looking around her, she noted that the wind had picked up, tossing sand into the air. Overhead, the stars shone brightly, and she tilted her head back to look up at them. Somewhere up there in that mass of light and dark was Antar.

"I can take care of myself," Michael growled. He glanced over at Serena and noted that she was staring at the stars. He glanced up at them as well, then shook his head and looked away. It had been a long tome since he had looked at the stars and asked himself all those questions that had once haunted him. Who was he? How did he get here? Where was he from and where did he belong? He had stopped asking himself those questions, because he had found the answers. He had found the answers that Isabel, in her desire to be 'normal,' had figured out long ago.

He was Michael Guerin. He was from another planet, but he was here now, and this was where he belonged. This was home.

Or, at least, it had been.

But now, with Maria and Isabel gone, it was hardly home anymore.

"Will you go after the skins?" Serena asked, her voice echoing slightly in the stillness as the wind died down again.

"If we can," Michael answered shortly. He would have liked to attack them, would have liked to hunt down each and every skin and grind them into dust, but he knew that was not possible. Not if Khivar was really here, on this planet.

Not if what Liz had seen was true.

_Max ran out to the car, Michael close behind. Alex stumbled out of the motel, still trying to wrap his mind around the fact that Isabel had taken off without telling anyone. Liz and Serena followed the three boys, worry obvious in their expressions._

"_Max!" Liz grabbed Max's arm before he could get into the car. "Where are you going? How do you even know where she will be?"_

_Max shrugged as he pulled his arm from her grasp. "I don't know," he answered honestly. "But we have to find her. What if she is in danger?" His voice was filled with panic._

_Alex leaned against the car. "Liz is right, Max. We need a plan, we need and idea of some sort. We have no idea where she could be."_

"_What do you want us to do?" Michael snapped at Alex. "She might not have that much time. We are just trying to protect her!"_

"_Hey, you aren't the only person here who cares about Isabel!" Alex shot back._

"_Can you connect with her?" Serena asked hesitantly. All eyes turned to her, but she was looking just at Max. "Liz said sometimes you can connect with each other…"_

_Max shook his head. "It's always Isabel doing the actual connecting. Michael and I… our powers don't work like that."_

"_Well, what about Liz?" Alex cut in, glancing over at his friend. "Sometimes you have premonitions…"_

"_I would need to be touching something of Isabel's," Liz mused, "but even that might not be enough. I just don't know if I can conjure a premonition on call."_

"_You have to try," Max said softly, reaching out and taking her hand. "We can help you." As Max's hand brushed against Liz's skin, she was suddenly thrown into a premonition so strong she cried out and collapsed to the ground._

_They were at the cliffs. Isabel and another man. They were talking, arguing, and Isabel called him Khivar. Then there was a flash of light, and they were in a different part of the desert. Ten men grouped around Khivar, each listening as he gave orders. The scene changed one last time, and Liz saw herself falling to the floor of the Granolith chamber as cave around her began to crumble._

_When she opened her eyes, the brunette found herself staring into Max's concerned eyes. She gasped for breath and pushed herself to her knees. Thinking back to the first part of the vision, she murmured, "I think I know where Isabel is."_

But it had been too late. She was dead by the time they got there.

In everything that had happened, the other two parts of Liz's vision were temporarily forgotten while the friends mourned the loss of their loved one. But now, standing under the stars and staring at the graves of these two women, Serena couldn't help but wonder about what else Liz had seen, and what it meant.

"What does the Granolith do?" Serena murmured. "Why do the skins want it so badly?"

"They want the power," Michael replied. He glanced around warily. "And keep your voice down."

The desert was empty for miles around them, but Serena did as she was requested, whispering in a quiet voice, "But I still don't understand what it does."

'I already told you. It's our way home."

"That's it?" Serena asked. "It's just a spaceship?" She closed her eyes for a moment, remembering Liz's description of the vision. She had been in the chamber and the rocks had started falling down around her as the light of the Granolith burst from the cave. Had someone been in it, then? Had Liz been witnessing someone returning to Antar?

"It's more than that," Michael hissed, but did not elaborate.

"Oh…"

Finally, Michael sighed and said, "If you are so damn interested in it, why don't you ask to read the copy of the translation of the Destiny Book?" Then he turned and walked away.

Serena stared after him in confusion. "Destiny Book?" she wondered quietly.

Michael walked for a little while, watching the landscape around him as it rolled on and on into the distance. Once he was sure he was out of earshot of Serena, he ran both hands through his hair and looked up at the stars.

"Isabel… if you can hear me… wherever you are, we miss you. And we love you. So much. I wish we could have… I wish you could have been safe… I wish we all could have been safe." He closed his eyes and felt the wind on his face. "Izzy, I don't know if I believe in life after death. I don't know if I believe in heaven and hell and all that. But… I believe that you deserve to be somewhere happy. So, wherever you are… I hope you found the freedom from Khivar that you were looking for." He swallowed painfully, then continued, "If you see Tess, tell her I'm sorry. Tell her I wish I had the chance to know her better. Tell her… tell her she'll always be my family, even though she was only in Roswell for such a short time." He drew another breath, then whispered, "And if you see Maria, tell her I love her. Tell her I… Just tell her I love her."

* * *

Max shoved his hands under the cold water and splashed it onto his face. He ran a hand through his hair and stared at his pale reflection in the mirror. They had been at this motel too long, it was time to move again. They had been getting sloppy with everything that had happened, Liz and Alex arriving, Serena being introduced into the group, the explosion by the pod chamber… It was time to clean up there act and move on. 

Max frowned slightly as the door behind him opened and Liz slipped into the room. He turned to look at her. He studied her features, her red-rimmed eyes, her tear-stained cheeks. She lifted a hand and placed it on his cheek. Her skin was cool to the touch, and his was still burning despite the cold water he had splashed in his face.

"You should try to sleep," she murmured, drawing him away from the bathroom.

Max sighed and stepped into the larger bedroom. "I tried," he muttered, looking away. His eyes fell across the clothes tossed in a pile in the corner, the open computer, the papers filled with notes and plans and ideas. He sighed and rubbed his weary eyes. "I don't know what to do anymore, Liz."

Liz pulled Max over to the bed and sat down next to him. She could see the exhaustion in his eyes, and the despair. It had been a long time since she had seen those looks, not since Maria's death. And even before that, the looks were rare. He had not been that naïve, confused teenager in quite a while, but with the loss of his sister, that old Max was coming back. The hesitant, unsure, scared boy was peeking through the iron layers of the battle worn king, and Liz felt her heartbreak just to see it.

"So many problems, Liz. Too many skins to fight, and now, if Khivar is on earth… And we still don't know why the FBI found the pod chamber." Max swallowed the burning lump in his throat and whispered, "I just don't know how to do this without Isabel."

Liz closed her eyes as her emotions raged an inner battle. Should she tell Max about Kyle and solve one problem, or should she wait and say nothing and not cause him more grief? Perhaps it would be better to wait and tell him tomorrow. Give him the day to grieve.

"Do you think she's happy?"

Liz opened her eyes and glanced at Max questioningly. "What?"

"Isabel," Max elaborated. "Ever since Khivar started entering her dreams, she'd been so… broken. Now that she's free of him, do you think she's happy?"

Liz frowned, then spoke slowly, choosing her words carefully. "I think she moved on to a better place, Max. Heaven, if you believe in that. Whatever you want to call it… I think she is… at peace now."

"I hope so," Max said softly. "She deserves it."

"Yes," Liz agreed readily. "Yes, she does."

Max stood abruptly and walked over to the window. He pushed the drapes back and stared up at the black sky. "I don't know what to do anymore," he repeated. "I can't do this without Isabel."

"Yes, you can," Liz argued. She pushed herself to her feet, but did not join Max at the window. Instead, she paced back and forth across the carpeted floor. "You can do it, because you don't really have a choice."

Max glanced at her, one eyebrow raised. "As easy as that, huh?" he asked softly.

Liz gave him a sad smile. "Nothing's every that easy, Max. But we have to fight. We can't give up now, or Isabel will have died for nothing."

"She already did," Max replied dismally. Liz started to protest, but he cut her off. "We can't win this. We've been kidding ourselves for the past decade, Liz, because we've known all along we can't win without Tess."

Liz nodded slowly, realizing what Max said was the truth. They couldn't win without the Four Square, and now that they had lost both Tess and Isabel…

"We are going to die no matter what," Max said bluntly. "All we can really hope for is that we take enough skins with us to save the planet." He turned and walked out of the room.

Liz watched him go with a heavy heart, and couldn't help but wonder who the next person to die would be.

* * *

_Angel of death come to me  
And show me all of your glory  
My time is here and now  
Take me  
Lead me to where I need to be  
I am afraid but hopefully am not alone  
Show my the face of those who have  
Traveled this path before me  
For they shall take away my inner fear  
They shall make me understand thee  
Angel of death come before me  
Show me the faces of those who grieve me  
Tell them my time has come  
And that there is no point in their anger  
For they too shall make an escape just like me  
They shall understand one day why I left  
Angel of death come to me  
I feel life escaping me slowly  
Take to me to the other side  
I know now it is my destiny  
I can no longer fight thee  
For the strength has all but drained me  
Angel of death come before me  
Hold my hand as I make my last journey  
I shall remember all that I have seen  
I understand why you have come for me  
They shall all move on after me  
Though they think I am needed  
I will not return no matter how much they grieve  
But shall live on in they're heart eternally  
Angel of death come to me  
I have solved your mystery.

* * *

_

Next Chapter: Against All Odds

Due: Fri 5/5


	7. Against All Odds

Title: Paradise

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Author's note: There is a short time gap between the last chapter and this one, so this chapter starts rather abruptly. Keep reading, and what happened during the three-day interval will become clear.

* * *

Chapter Seven: Against All Odds

_**Don't pretend to hold it in just let it out  
don't pretend to hold it in just push it out  
don't you try to hold it in just let it out and   
don't you try to hold it in you hold it in**_

"You bastard!"

Kyle barely had time to register the insult throw his way before he felt a fist connect with his cheek and he stumbled backwards, surprised. Touching the bruised skin gingerly, he turned and looked at his attacker in confusion. Then his expression turned to one of surprise.

"Evans?"

Max clenched his fists at his side and nodded coldly. "Hello, Valenti," he growled.

Kyle blinked and glanced behind him into the house. He and Abby had been having lunch when they had heard a knock at the door, and Kyle had excused himself to see who would be bothering them at noon on a Sunday. He had opened the door only to have Max's fist slam into his face, and he now noted that his daughter was standing in the doorway of kitchen, observing the entire altercation with wide eyes and an open mouth.

"Abby, can you go back into the kitchen and continue eating?" Kyle asked quietly. "Daddy needs to take care of something, but I'll be there in a moment. Alright?"

Abby nodded slowly, apprehensively, and walked back through the kitchen doors, playing with a few lose strands of hair as she did so.

Kyle watched Abby leave, then glanced over at Max. "Would you like to come in?" he said dryly, stepping back into the room and letting Max enter. He glanced outside one last time, half expecting to be attacked by Michael as well, but the street was fairly empty. For this he was glad, he did not want to be attacked by more than one powerful alien.

Max stalked into the room. Four days ago, Khivar had killed Isabel. Three days ago, Liz had told him the truth about what Kyle had done. Unable to go after Khivar, Max had decided to take his rage out on his one-time friend. It had meant leaving Roswell, a decision that he knew the others would be furious about when they read the note he had left for them, but he didn't care. He had bought the ticket in secret, slipping away in the middle of the night.

Kyle had betrayed them, and he deserved to pay for it.

"How are Michael and Isabel? Alex, Liz?" Kyle asked politely, trying to break the tense silence.

"Isabel's dead," Max snarled. He raised his clenched fist, prepared to hit Kyle again, but the former jock sidestepped the blow.

"I'm so sorry," Kyle murmured, and he was truly sorry. He had never been great friends with Isabel, but he had felt close to her once, and he was sorry to hear of her death. Then he frowned at Max. "But you can't think I had anything to do with that?" he protested.

"No, Khivar killed her. You just sold us out to the FBI," Max snarled.

Kyle raised his eyebrows. "Liz told you." It was not a question.

"So you admit it?" Max demanded.

"Do I admit that I did everything in my power to save my daughter from meeting the same fate as her mother?" Kyle shot back, feeling his temper boil as he stared at the smoldering rage on the hybrid king's face. "Yes, I do admit to that."

"You told them about the pod chamber," Max snapped.

"I told them about the one thing they'll never be able to enter, Max. It could have been worse. I could have told them all about you and everything you had done. I could have…"

"You still sold us out," Max interrupted.

"They killed my wife," Kyle hissed. "They threatened my daughter. I did what I had to in order to keep her safe." He stepped away from Max, breathing heavily, trying to force his rage back under control. Since Jennifer's death, he had been quick to snap at anyone, but he did not want to start a fight with Max. It was too dangerous, and he had Abby to think of.

"So that justifies it? Isabel is dead!"

"But not because of me," Kyle pointed out angrily. "I didn't lead the skins to her."

Max glared at Kyle, knowing that the human was right. Kyle had nothing to do with Isabel's death. Khivar had been after her for years, and whether or not Kyle had worked with the FBI, Isabel would have died. But he was unwilling to accept that truth, not when Kyle was standing there, an easy scapegoat.

After all, he had still put them in grave danger.

"How do you sleep at night?" Max asked softly, his voice barely above a whisper.

Kyle licked his dry lips, unwilling to admit that he _didn't_ sleep at night. Not anymore. Instead, he shot back a cold retort. "How do you sleep, Max? How do you live with yourself knowing that you've ruined so many lives. How many people have paid for your mistakes? My father lost his job because of you, Tess and Jennifer lost their lives because of you. And Maria and your mother… they would both still be alive if you hadn't…"

He never got to finish the sentence. Max raised his hand and sent Kyle flying through the air. He crashed heavily into the wall and fell to the ground, momentarily stunned.

It took all of Max's willpower not to kill Kyle at that moment. Instead, he said in a deadly serious voice, "Talk to the FBI again, Kyle, and you'll join your wife." Then he turned and walked from the house, slamming the front door behind him.

After he was gone, Abby poked her head through the kitchen doors, her brown eyes wide with fright. "Daddy?" she whispered, glancing over at Kyle.

"It's okay, Abby," Kyle reassured her, pulling himself to his feet. "I'm okay." He reached out and placed a hand on his daughter's shoulder, leading her back into the kitchen.

He never noticed the miniscule recording device hidden between the vase and the family picture on the side table near the front door.

On the other side of the city, in a small room in a small apartment, a man stared at the television screen in front of him. He reached for the remote and rewound the tape, then pressed the play button and watched in silent satisfaction as Max raised his hand and through Kyle across the room. He paused the video and reached over to the telephone, punching in a series of numbers.

After three rings, a voice picked up on the other line. "Agent Roberts."

"Agent Roberts, this is Agent Reynolds reporting." The man glanced back at the television screen. "I have something you might want to see."

* * *

Serena stared at the Destiny Book for a long time, rubbing her weary eyes and running a finger over the strange symbols that covered the pages. She glanced at Alex's translation and bit her lip. It was difficult for her to comprehend what was lying in front of her; how her best friend's husband had been… manufactured. 

She traced the edges of the picture of Tess' face, wondering what the girl had been like. The first of them to die in this battle, but not the last. She turned her green eyes towards Isabel's picture, and smiled slightly. The drawing was rough, a crude outline on the yellowed paper, but it still managed to capture the beauty and composure of the hybrid princess.

"What are you looking at?" Liz asked as she walked into the room. She was holding a mug of coffee in one hand, a fruitless attempt to get rid of the dark circles under her eyes. Her hair was pulled back from her face in a loose ponytail, a few strands falling around her face and at the back of her neck.

"The Destiny Book," Serena replied, pushing the book forward for Liz to see.

"Still trying to find a way to win the war?" Liz asked with a bittersweet smile. She had told Serena what Max had said to her four days before, about not being able to win without Tess. Since that conversation, Serena had been pouring over the Destiny Book, trying to find possible clues that could help them at least survive. Liz thought it was a pointless exercise, all of them had read every word of Alex's translation many times, and they hadn't been able to glean anything helpful. But it was the only information about themselves and the skins that they had, so where else could Serena look?

"I'm not giving up," Serena said stoutly. It amazed her how involved she had become in this battle. Here she was, fighting along side people she barely knew, against an enemy she had never met, to save a group of people who didn't even know the war existed.

She decided that it was, in retrospect, very bizarre.

"I know you aren't," Liz sighed. "But I think Max was right. No, I know Max was right. Without the four of them, they never had a chance. And now, without Tess and Isabel…" she choked slightly on the last name, still unable to completely convince herself that this was real, and not just some nightmare she would wake up from soon.

Because it was a nightmare. Alex hardly spoke to anyone, and when he did, it was always with as few words as possible. Michael snapped at anyone who spoke too loudly or interrupted him when he was thinking. Max was pulling further and further away from the others, retreating behind a shell of confusion and pain.

"There has to be a way out of this, Liz," Serena said quietly. She ran a hand through her hair, then glanced up at her friend. "There just has to be."

"I really wish I could believe that," Liz murmured. She took a seat across from Serena and sighed. "But I can't. Because I just don't see how we can win. With all the power the Granolith has, and all the power Max and Michael have, we still can't bring people back from the dead."

There was a dismal silence as Serena considered the truth in Liz's words. Then she said, "I keep thinking about that vision you had. We've been through the first part…Isabel's death…but the second two…"

"Khivar in the desert and me in the pod chamber?" Liz shrugged. "I don't know what they mean either, and I've given it a lot of thought, believe me." She licked dry lips and glanced over at the clock on the wall. "Have you seen Max?" she asked, changing the subject. It was around noon, and she hadn't seen him at all today.

"No," Serena replied. "Did he go somewhere?"

Liz frowned. "I'm not sure. I didn't look for a note." She got up and left the small motel room, heading back towards the room she shared with Max. If he had left a note, it would be there.

Serena watched her go, then glanced back at the Destiny Book. She sighed and closed her eyes, resting her head on her palms and propping her elbows on the table. There had to be a way to fix this, of that she was sure. Khivar had power and knowledge beyond anything they had ever dreamed of, and he should have won along time ago. But, somehow, against all the odds, the pod squad had managed to fend him off. They had lost people along the way, but they hadn't lost everything. Not yet.

And if at least one of them was still alive, still standing, still fighting, then there was still hope.

And she wasn't going to give up on that yet.

"He's gone!" Liz slammed the door of the room open and ran in, the note clutched tightly in her fist. Her face was pale with fear as she hurried to Serena's side. "He went after Kyle."

"What?" Serena opened her eyes in shock. "What do you mean? When?"

"He left before dawn this morning," Liz whispered, holding out the note. "He took a plane, he went to talk to Kyle…" She glanced up at the clock. "He'd have reached Kyle by now…" She shook her head. How could he do this? How could he just leave like that? What was he thinking?

She should have known this was going to happen, she decided. She should never have told him about what Kyle had done. At least not now, not so soon after Isabel had died. He wasn't thinking clearly, and she knew that. He would put himself in danger, and there was no telling what he would do to Kyle…

Oh, God, what had she done?

* * *

Michael leaned his head against the cool glass of the window and watched as the blistering sun cast yellow rays on the desert sand. It was hot in the room, too hot. The humidity was almost suffocating, he could hardly breathe. Sweat formed in beads along his forehead and stung when it fell into his eyes. 

_Long day?_

Michael closed his eyes and shook his head, not wanting to hear that voice. Not wanting to turn around and see the phantom he knew would be standing there. He held his breath and counted to ten, then slowly exhaled.

But the ghost was still standing there, still waiting for an answer.

And he found himself replying softly, honestly, "Long week."

_Long decade, more like it._

Michael gave a short, dark laugh. "Yeah, that too." He turned and faced the ghost, his past. "But if you don't mind, I've got more important things to do than talk to a figment of my imagination."

_You always did. Everything was more important than our relationship._

The reply was sharp, abrasive, and Michael flinched. "That's not true," he snapped. "But you kept trying to turn every small thing into a big deal."

_Because you would miss the big deals when they came and hit you in the face. _

"I don't want to argue, Maria." Michael walked over to the bed and sat down. "I'm tired."

_I thought you had things to do?_

Michael bit back the urge to snap at the mocking comment. What was the point of yelling at someone who didn't even exist anymore? Instead, he ran a hand through his messy hair and said, "I do. I have to figure out how to win this war."

_Then you disagree with Max? You think there still is a chance?_

"I always disagree with Max," Michael replied, and that was partially true. They disagreed more often than they agreed, and that had never changed. And now there was no Isabel to stand in between them and act as a barrier.

_Serena thinks there is a chance also._

"Yeah…" Michael let out another breath. "But what does she know? She just barged in all this whole mess. She wasn't with us for the past ten years. She doesn't get anything about this."

_She might if you talked to her. She seems nice enough. And she makes an effort to talk to you._

"I don't need to talk to her," Michael answered a little more harshly than he intended. "I'm not looking to make new friends."

_Well, with that attitude, you would never have been friends with me._

Michael stood and turned away. "Serena isn't you. I don't want to be friends with her."

_How did I fall in love with someone like you? You're annoying, insensitive, frustrating and so completely oblivious to everything. Pretty much the opposite of what my dream guy would be like._

Michael flinched again. "Well, I could say the same about you," he retorted. "I didn't expect to fall for a scented-oil sniffing, sharp, control-freak like you."

_But you did. Didn't you?_

Michael didn't even bother to respond. What was the point, they both knew what the answer would be.

The door suddenly flew open and Liz rushed into the room. Maria's ghost disappeared, and Michael was jerked unceremoniously back to the present, back to reality.

"Max is gone," Liz said, wasting not time with extra words. She held out the note in her hand, and Michael took it with a darkening expression.

Behind Liz, Serena appeared in the doorway, followed shortly by Alex, who had been quickly informed of what had happened. They all watched with abated breath as Michael read the note.

Then the hybrid General slammed his fist into the wall.

"Great," he snarled. "Could this possibly get worse?"

He should have known.

A decade of fighting the skins, running from the FBI, and trying to be normal, and Michael should have known never to ask that question.

It was never a good idea to tempt fate.

* * *

Next Chapter: Into the Line of Fire 

Due: Fri 5/12


	8. Into the Line of Fire

Title: Paradise

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Author's note: For this story, forget everything that happened in Departure. Tess is not evil, and she doesn't leave at the end of Season Two with Max's baby. Because if she does leave, then Future Max came back in time for nothing, and the world is going to end anyway.

* * *

Chapter Eight: In the Line of Fire

_**And it's one more day in paradise  
one more day in paradise  
it's one more day in paradise  
one last chance to feel alright... alright**_

"NO!" Liz spun around at the sound of the gun firing. She just had enough time to catch sight of Alex's body as it crumpled to the ground before the FBI agent had turned to her and taken aim. Someone crashed into her, throwing her to the floor, and she rolled over and looked up to see Michael standing over her, his hand outstretched. She glanced over at the agent, and saw him fly through the air, then slam into the side of the motel and collapse unconscious on the ground.

Liz scrambled to her hands and knees and crawled over to Alex's body. His torso was covered in blood, and she counted several bullet holes. How many time had the agent shot him? Didn't he realize that one bullet would have been enough?

"Love you, Li…" Alex gasped, but his words were choked as blood filled his mouth.

"Sh," Liz whispered. "Don't speak. It'll be easier that way." She glanced over at Max, who came running to her side. "Max…"

Max extended his hands over his friend's stomach, but somehow he knew that it was too late. As he felt the power flowing through his arms and into his hands, he also saw Alex's eyes close, and sensed his life force slip away. "No… no, no, no!"

The sound of screeching tires on wet pavement caused both Liz and Max to turn around in surprise. A car was coming towards them, and unmarked black car that they all knew was filled with more agents.

"We have to go," Michael ordered harshly, pulling Liz to her feet. He turned and extended a hand towards Max, but the hybrid king ignored it, and stood up on his own.

"We've got to take Alex with us," Liz whispered as she struggled to break out of Michael's grasp.

"No time," Michael argued. "Come on, let's go!" He glanced at the approaching car. It was rolling to a stop, and he could see men preparing to jump out, their guns in their hands.

"Move out," Max ordered, stepping past Alex's body.

"No, you can't just…" Liz started protesting, but Michael dragged her forcefully away. Max didn't look back, couldn't look back. He ran towards his car, pulling the driver's door open and shoving the keys into the ignition as he did so. He heard Liz screaming at him, then Michael opened the back door and shoved the hysterical brunette into the car. The taciturn general took the front passenger seat, and Max pulled out of the parking lot of the motel.

Gunshots rang through the air, and Liz and Michael instinctively ducked as the plastic window behind them absorbed the shock of several bullets. Max slammed his foot down onto the gas pedal and drove, knowing the other car was following.

Liz twisted in her seat and watched as Alex's body disappeared from sight. She understood that it would have been wasting precious seconds to try and bring him to the car, she knew that they would have died if they had stayed… as it was, they might still die. But it didn't make it any harder to leave the last of her best friends behind, to leave his body in the hands of his murderers.

Max drove frantically, winding the car back and forth across the roads that twisted through the desert. Up ahead, a rock formation rose on one side of the road. "Michael, make that fall," he ordered, nodding his head to the rocks as the car raced by them.

Michael didn't reply. Without a word, he raised a hand and blasted the window out of the way, then let a bolt of green energy fly from his hand and strike the rocks, knocking them loose from their base. The rocks crashed to the road behind the car, effectively creating a blockade.

Max slowed down a little and chanced a glance behind him. The entire road was cut off, meaning that the FBI car wouldn't be able to get through. They would have to find another way, and although it might only take them a few extra minutes to take a different road, it was long enough.

"I think we've lost them," Liz whispered.

"Keep driving," Michael ordered guardedly. "Now's not a time to take chances."

Max nodded and pressed his foot on the acceleration again, and the car sped through the desert roads, leaving the pursuing FBI behind. As he navigated his way through the dirt paths, he let his mind wander back to the events of the past few days.

_How had it ended up like this?_

"_You just left, Maxwell," Michael snarled at the alien king. They were standing in yet another motel room, arguing about Max's latest decision. It was the day after Max had gone to see Kyle, and no body was particularly happy with his course of action._

"_I left a note," Max replied carelessly. The fight had gone out of him since he had punched Kyle, and now he barely had the energy to raise his voice._

"_Do you have any idea how worried we were?" Liz asked. The anger she felt at Max was only slightly dampened by the relief she felt when he had called from the airport to announce that he was safely back in the state. "How could you do this?"_

_Max turned a frosty glare towards his wife. "How could you wait so long to tell me what you knew about Kyle?" he demanded._

"_Because I was trying to keep you from doing something stupid!" Liz shot back, flushed._

"_Nice job," Michael cut in sarcastically._

"_Guys, arguing isn't going to help us," Alex spoke up softly, glancing back and forth between the two aliens and Liz. "What matters now is that everyone is safe."_

"_Yeah, no thanks to our fearless leader," Michael snapped. He turned and stalked from the room, slamming the door behind him. They heard his footsteps pounding on the carpeted hall before disappearing into another motel room._

"_We were worried, Max," Liz murmured, reaching out and hesitantly placing a hand on Max's arm. He turned and looked at her, his glare melting into a sad smile. Liz blinked back tears and whispered, "I don't know what I would do if something happened to you."_

"_I know," Max acknowledged her fear with a nod. "I'm sorry, I was just so…" He let the sentence drift off, not knowing what else to say._

"_Guys?" Alex drew their attention towards himself, sounding slightly apologetic for breaking into the conversation. "Where's Serena?"_

_Liz frowned, suddenly realizing her friend wasn't there. She had been there when Max had first returned, Liz was sure of that. But at some point during the conversation, she must have slipped out, because the redhead was nowhere to be seen._

"_I'll find her," Liz said, turning and leaving the room. She glanced around the empty hallway for a moment, then walked to the room next to Michael's. She knocked once on the door, then pushed it open, and found Serena standing in front of the window, staring out at the sky._

"_You okay?" Liz asked as Serena turned around to see who had entered. "You disappeared."_

"_I'm glad Max is back," Serena said. "And I'm glad he is okay."_

_Liz nodded. "Me, too," she agreed. She walked over to the bed and sat down, eyeing Serena appraisingly. The redhead had dark circles under her subdued green eyes, and her hair was messier than usual, loose strands falling in front of her face. "Are you alright?" Liz asked again, concerned._

"_Yeah," Serena answered. She forced a smile, then sighed. "I just haven't been sleeping well, I guess," she admitted reluctantly. "I've been thinking a lot about everything…"_

_Liz nodded. "Still trying to find a way to save us all?" she asked quietly._

_Serena was silent for a moment, then she said, "What if Max is right, Liz? What if you can't win this without Tess and Isabel?"_

"_Then we can't win," Liz replied somberly._

"_But if you had them, do you think there would be more of a chance…?" Serena turned and faced Liz fully, her eyes boring into the brunette's face, demanding an answer._

"_Probably," Liz said, not understanding where this conversation was going. "Why?"_

"_Tess leaving started all of this, right?" Serena said, turning back to the window. "What if she didn't leave? What if you could find a way to keep her from leaving Roswell?"_

"_You mean change the past?" Liz questioned. "That's impossible." She stood and walked over to Serena, over to the window._

"_I used to think so too," Serena murmured. "But now…" She sighed and ran a hand through her hair in a vain attempt to get in under control. "Something I read in the translation of the Destiny Book reminded me of something I learned in one of my upper level quantum mechanics classes. And now…"_

"_You think there is a way of changing the past?" Liz asked incredulously. "We could just go back in time and fix everything?"_

_Serena shook her head. "Not exactly," she replied. She was silent for a moment, then she said, "But it might be possible, with the Granolith, to send one person back in time." She closed her eyes for a moment, replaying her idea in her head, trying to figure out if was truly plausible. "One person to change one event…"_

"_Why just one?" Liz asked eagerly. She knew she was clutching at straws, but after everything they had lost, she would take any chance she could get to make things better._

"_Minimize the risk," Serena explained. "You see, the way the physics of the world, and time in particular, works, we would be taking a grave risk in going back and changing too much." She was silent for beat, then she said, "Besides, whoever went back couldn't be seen by their past self."_

"_Why not?"_

"_Because then there would be two identical versions of the same person in the same place, and it would cause a shift in the balance between the relativity of time and…"_

"_You know what," Liz cut in, "I was more of a chemistry-person anyway. I'll just take your word for it." Serena gave a brief chuckle, and Liz continued, "So you really think it is possible for one of us to go back in time?"_

_Serena hesitated, then said, "I think it is worth a shot." She walked over to the bed and sat down. "If you or Michael or Max went back in time, would you be able to stop Tess from leaving?"_

"_Maybe," Liz answered, unsure. "I just… I don't know how."_

"_Couldn't you just go to her and tell her the truth?" Serena questioned._

_Liz shook her head. "No. Tess wasn't there that long before she left. She didn't know any of us that well, and if a future version of one of us showed up and told her she could never leave because the world would end… I just don't see her believing that." Liz got up. "Maybe it I went to Max or if he came to me, we could somehow come up with a plan to…" She paused and shook her head._

"_What?" Serena asked sharply._

_Liz shrugged. "I don't know," she admitted. "I just can't think of anyway to convince Tess to stay without actually having Max and her become an item."_

"_Okay, she must have had other interests besides Max," Serena objected. "Did she have friends? Family? Hobbies? Aspirations?"_

_Liz shook her head. "No, she didn't. We were her friends and her family. Or, at least, we should have been. But she was so set on Destiny, and we were so…"_

"_Not set on Destiny?" Serena supplied._

_Liz shook her head again. "Actually, I was going to say that we were so mean to her because of it. Looking back on it now, I think of course she was set on Destiny. That's all she had ever known. She came her hoping to find a family, and what she found was a whole bunch of people who didn't trust her. And we just didn't get that." Liz closed her eyes. "I guess I just feel a little guilty."_

"_She left of her own accord," Serena pointed out. "She could have stayed and tried to adapt to the group."_

_Liz nodded but said nothing._

"_Take the idea to Max, see what he says," Serena pressed. "I'm going to look into this some more, work out the finer details."_

Max had been skeptical of the plan when Liz first brought it to him, but now, driving through the New Mexico desert, he wasn't entirely sure they had a choice. It was the only plan they had at the moment, and it beat sitting around and waiting to get killed.

Serena had figured out a plan, not a great one, but one that just might work. And Liz had come up with a way of keeping Tess in Roswell, although she was not thrilled with her idea either. But if it kept the world from ending, what else could she do? She had lost almost everything and everyone that mattered to her anyway.

Maria, Isabel, Alex…

Even Serena wouldn't be around anymore.

The three of them drove in silence through the desert until the back roads connected with the highway, and Max pulled the car onto 285 North.

Towards Roswell.

* * *

Kyle paced the room angrily, his footsteps smashing into the floor as he walked. He kept shooting glances at the door, hoping it would open. hoping someone would walk through it and tell him this was all one miserable nightmare. But the door didn't open, and he knew by now that this was no nightmare.

He slammed his hand onto the wood table in the center of the room and sank into a chair. How long had he been here? Hours, days, weeks, years? It felt like an eternity, an eternity of worrying…

Where was Abby?

The fear clawed at him, panic eating away at his insides. The clock on the wall blinked eights, no way to tell what time it was. His watch had been removed when they had brought him in, and his cell phone had been confiscated at the door.

Where was he?

There were no windows, and he had been so disoriented during the ride over, that he couldn't even remember if he was in the same city. It could not have been more than a day or two since they had brought him here, but it felt like…

He sighed and rubbed his weary eyes.

At least the room wasn't white.

He knew it was a insignificant fact, and hardly something to be grateful for, but somehow it soothed him to know that the room wasn't entirely white. They floor was dark brown, and there was some furniture, and that was something.

He closed his eyes and rested his head on the table.

"_Mr. Valenti?"_

_Kyle jerked up in surprise and stared at the men who seemed to appear out of nowhere. They were dressed all in black, and wore grim expressions. Kyle felt his blood turn to ice. They never approached him at work, never made their presence so blatantly known. His gut told him to run, but the men quickly had him surrounded._

"_Would you take a walk with us, sir?" one of the men asked politely, placing a hand on Kyle's elbow. It was said in such a way that the others around Kyle assumed these men were actually asking permission to talk to Kyle, but that was not the case. The firm grip on his elbow and the cold stare in the expressionless eyes told Kyle quite clearly who was in charge here._

_Kyle followed them out into the hallway. "What do you want?" he asked, trying to sound brave, trying to pretend he was not terrified. He did not recognize any of the men, but he knew who they were and what they wanted._

"_We would like to talk to you for a moment about some old friends of yours," the first man replied with a smile that did not reach his eyes. "One in particular that visited you last week?"_

_Kyle licked his dry lips and looked away. "I don't know what you're talking about," he said stubbornly._

"_Yes," the man murmured. "Yes, you do."_

_Another man stepped forward. "Perhaps you would take a walk with us?" He turned slightly as he said the words, one hand resting on his waist. His arm casually pushed his jacket up enough to reveal the handle of a gun._

_Kyle paled._

And so he had ended up in this room. They did not torture him or perform experiments. They asked his questions, and when he refused to answer, they left him alone. That scared him more than anything else. Who knew what they were planning?

Where was Abby?

Did they have her? Had they picked her up from his house? Had they kidnapped her and confined her to another room? Was she scared and crying? Did she wonder where he was?

"Mr. Valenti?"

Kyle looked up as a man walked into the room. He was of average height, with a nondescript appearance. Like his partners, he had the unique capability of disappearing into a crowd, of being looked over, when he so chose.

There were always times when it was beneficial to be invisible.

"Where is my daughter?" Kyle demanded, jumping to his feet. "What did you do to her?"

"You will be pleased to know that Miss Valenti is safe and cared for," the agent replied. He took a seat and gestured for Kyle to do the same, but Kyle refused.

"Where is she?" he hissed.

"She has been taken to a safe location," the agent said softly. "We will not harm her."

Kyle narrowed his eyes. "Why don't I believe you?"

"Whether you chose to believe us or not is your own concern. However, I would be more concerned about your own welfare instead of hers." He reached into a file folder and pulled out a picture, then pushed it across the table. "Who is this girl?"

Kyle stared at the picture and frowned. "I don't know," he said, and for once, he was telling the truth.

"Take another look," the man directed.

Kyle sighed and picked up the picture, studying the woman. She had beautiful red hair and sparkling green eyes. She was tall, and dressed casually in jeans and a white t-shirt. She was leaning against the hood of a car, staring at something out of the picture, concern in her eyes.

"I don't know," Kyle repeated.

The agent sighed. "I was afraid you wouldn't be cooperative," he said mournfully. He stood and took out another picture. "I'll give you a few hours to think over your choices, Mr. Valenti, but think carefully. Unless you would like to end up like this…" He held out the picture, and Kyle took it reluctantly.

A bitter taste rose in his throat as he felt himself become physically sick. The picture showed a body, riddled with bullets, lying on the ground outside a motel. The parking lot was covered in blood, and the face of the dead man was twisted into a shocked grimace. And the body was…

Alex.

The agent turned and left the room, closing and locking the door behind him. Kyle stood, frozen in place, for a fraction of a second, then he ran to the door. He slammed his fists against it, anger pounding through his veins.

"Where is my daughter!" he screamed.

* * *

Next Chapter: The Last Beautiful Girl

Due: Fri 5/19

Author's note: I know that Serena disappeared without an explanation. That will be explained in the next chapter, I just needed to kill of Alex (I know that sounds horrible) in this chapter. Also, next chapter is going to deal with the skins, so I thought I should remind you all that they are out there still trying to kill the pod squad.


	9. The Last Beautiful Girl

Title: Paradise

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Author's Note: This chapter is rushed because I was trying to give the impression of everything happening quickly. However, there are a few things I need to say about it that I can't say until you've read the entire thing, so please note the Author's Note at the end of the chapter.

* * *

Chapter Nine: The Last Beautiful Girl

_**Once upon a year gone by  
she saw herself give in  
every time she closed her eyes  
she saw what could have been**_

Serena watched the sun fade over the distant horizon. She was standing on the balcony outside her room at the ritzy Sheraton in downtown Los Angeles. Leaning against the railing, she felt the wind whip around her. It was cool today, cooler than usual for L.A., especially at this time of year. The sky was overcast, and the sinking sun set the clouds on fire with red and orange streaks of light.

She wondered what it would feel like when everything changed. Would she fade away? Would this world just blink out of existence, or would it be slow and gradual? Would her memories change each day until she became a new person, or would she simply be replaced by her other self, the self that would exist once Max changed everything.

She remembered everything that had happened up until now, so they could not have changed the future yet. She wondered if they even would. Would they live long enough, would the plan work?

Or had the skins won? Had they already taken over everything?

She prayed that they were not too late, because she had done everything she could to make this work, and she did not want to the sacrifice to be in vain.

Suddenly she heard the sound of something behind her exploding, and she knew that it was the door to her room. Footsteps thundered through towards her, voices shouted for her to lift her hands in the air.

She didn't even bother to turn around. She knew this would happen, she had been waiting for it.

And now the end, her end, was here.

"_I'm sorry, you want me to what?" Max demanded angrily, looking at Liz._

"_Max, please, this is the only way. If you can get my past self to make you fall out of love with me…"_

"_I will never fall out of love with you," Max protested, shaking his head. Didn't Liz know that? He was her soul mate, he would love her forever._

"_You have to," Liz whispered. "Max, I've thought about this a million times, I've discussed it with Serena over and over. This is the only way. You have to be with Tess. You have to let me go."_

"_I can't," Max murmured, pulling Liz into a hug. "I can't let you go," he breathed, smelling the scent of her hair. "I can't give up on us."_

"_Then the world will end," Liz replied gently, "and we won't be together anyway."_

_Max pulled away from Liz and looked at the others in the room. Michael and Alex stared back at him blankly, neither knowing what to say. Then Max turned to Serena. "You sure you can get me back in time?"_

_Serena nodded. "You have the crystal, it was with the translation of the Destiny Book. All you have to do is make it to the Granolith Chamber."_

"_And how are we going to do that?" Michael asked. "With the FBI on our tails and the skins still out there…"_

"_Oh, God," Liz suddenly muttered, "The vision…"_

"_What vision?" Alex asked sharply, turning to his friend. "Did you have another vision?"_

"_No," Liz said, shaking her head. "The vision I had of Isabel. The first part I saw her and Khivar, the second I saw the skins in the desert, the third part Max and I were in the pod chamber…"_

"_The skins in the desert… you think they are going to the pod chamber now?" Michael asked worriedly._

_Max ran a hand through his hair shakily. "Well, it makes sense. When Kyle sold us out, the FBI went to visit the pod chamber site." His fingers turned to fists as he muttered the words, but he took a breath and continued, "If the skins were watching the FBI, they would have seen all that activity, and they would have known that there was something important about that area."_

"_If the skins are at the pod chamber now, we don't have much time," Alex said wearily. _

"_Alex is right," Michael agreed. "We don't have time to argue the merits of Serena's and Liz's plan. If we wait too long, we won't even have a chance to carry it out."_

"_We're several hours away from the Granolith," Max argued. "How can we expect to get there without being caught by the skins?"_

"_Guys?" Liz turned away from the window of the motel room and looked over at Max and Michael. "I think we have another problem." Through the dirty glass, she could make out two unmarked cars pulling into the motel lot, and the men dressed in black inside the cars sent chills down her spine._

_Max was at the window in a heartbeat. "How did they find us?" he demanded harshly. It was the first time they had been found at a motel, usually their fights with the FBI were in public, when one of them was careless enough to let themselves be seen for too long._

"_We need to get out of here," Michael ordered. "Leave everything. Just make it to the car."_

_Alex and Liz were already to the door, but Max's words stopped them. "We'll never be able to out run the FBI and fight the skins. We can't do this."_

"_Yes we can," Serena said, suddenly knowing what she had to do. She turned to the other four. "You guys go down to the car and get to the pod chamber."_

"_But what about you?" Liz asked._

_Serena shook her head. "I'm not important to this part of the plan. I can stay here and lead the FBI away from you." She glanced over at Max, then walked over to the window and pointed to one of the red cars near the entrance of the parking lot. "On the way out, can you unlock and hotwire that car with your powers?" she asked. _

"_But if we split up they'll catch you," Liz argued, hurrying back into the room towards her friend. "Do you realize what will happen?"_

"_Yes," Serena said slowly. "But if I can make it look like I am escaping with something important…" she grabbed a paperweight from the table. It was heavy and made us glass, shaped like a cat. A few lines were scratched into it, it had been worn with use over the ages. She held it out to Max. "Make this glow."_

_Max ran his hand over the paperweight, and the cat emitted a faint red light that flickered and hummed. Serena grabbed a bath towel that was lying on the bed and draped it over the cat, partially concealing the glow. _

"_There. The FBI will think I have something important and they'll go after me."_

"_They'll continue after us as well," Alex pointed out logically. _

"_Yes, but they won't be able to come after you in numbers," Serena replied. "They'll have to divide their forces, and that might buy you the time needed to put the plan into action."_

"_That is the stupidest plan I think I've ever heard," Michael growled. _

"_I agree," Alex put in, giving Serena a look._

"_Does anyone have a better one?" Serena challenged._

_There was a silence, then Max said, "Fine."_

"_I'm not leaving her!" Liz hissed angrily._

"_If we change the future, she won't even be your friend anyway. And this version of her will cease to exist," Max snapped._

"_Guys? They're getting out of their cars," Serena said, her eyes pinned to the men below as they stepped out into the light. The glint of their guns was evitable, even from the second floor window. "We don't have time to argue this." She turned and looked at Liz. "Trust me."_

_Liz swallowed and looked away, nodding slowly, and the entire group ran from the room._

"_This way, the back staircase," Michael instructed. He lead the others down the hallway and through the staircase at the end. It twisted around in circles, and the air was heavy with dust. They reached the first floor, and Michael pushed the door open just enough to see the agents hurry towards the main stairs and the elevator. Two men stayed behind, flanking the door leading to the parking lot._

_Michael glanced back at Max, his eyes questioning. _

_Max licked his dry lips and waited until every other agent had disappeared through the doors to the main staircase or entered the elevator. Then he turned and nodded to Michael, and the hybrid general shoved the door open._

_The two FBI agents open fired in rapid succession, but Max's shield was in place, protecting the others. Michael quickly eliminated the first agent with a burst of energy from the palm of his hand. The second man paused as he looked at his fallen comrade, and Max ended his life with his own power._

"_We don't have much time, hurry!" Max ordered as they heard footsteps on the stairs. The other agents must have been alerted by the noise, and they ran down the steps as fast as they could, their footsteps pounding towards their targets._

_Outside in the parking lot, Serena hung back while the others raced towards the car. Max turned around and focused on the red car at the end of the lot, and she heard it burst to life. Then the FBI agents came swarming out of the doors, and Serena took off running. She reached the car before they could get her, and ducked down behind it as bullets ricocheted off the red metal. _

"_What is she carrying?"_

"_It's glowing…"_

"_Stop her!"_

_Serena smiled as she heard the agents' words floating towards her across the gravel lot. So far it had worked. She glanced down at the glowing weight in her hands, then yanked the door open and pulled herself into the car. Still staying low, she shoved the car into reverse, thankful that Max knew how to hotwire cars, and pressed her foot on the gas._

_A moment later she was racing from the parking lot, with a car of agents in pursuit. She heard gunfire behind her, heard Liz scream out "No!" but didn't even dare to look back._

_She just drove._

_She didn't know how she had lost them, but she had. It happened in a blur. Winding through the twisting streets of one small desert town after another, then out onto the highway, taking a side road through the desert. She abandoned the car at a taxi rental and got a ride to a small café in a sleepy little town near the border with California. She stayed the night in a motel, and the next day she was on a plane to L.A._

Serena licked her dry lips as a man shoved her roughly to the floor. Something hit her by her leg, and she swallowed back a scream as a searing pain rushed through her body. She closed her eyes tightly, and the next time she opened them, she was surrounded by all white.

* * *

They were everywhere. Swarming around the pod chamber like flies. They crawled over the rocks, using their powers to try to blast in to the cave they knew was buried below. To one side, two men stood and watched in grim satisfaction, their eyes traveling over every detail.

Michael, Max, and Liz watched the scene in silence, hidden behind an outcropping of rocks several yards away from the skins. They had abandoned the car in Roswell, outside the Crashdown, which had seemed fitting. Of course, the diner wasn't open anymore, one of the first things that had been destroyed in this fight. The FBI had seized it years ago, and combed it for clues as to where their targets had gone. Understandably, people had been reluctant to go back when the FBI finally handed it over again, and the Parkers had been forced to sell it. They had both died soon after, and although the details of the deaths were not clear, their had been little doubt in Liz's mind that they were not natural deaths.

And because they were so afraid for their safety, Liz and the others had not even been able to attend to the funerals.

Liz shook those thoughts from her head. It had been a long time since she had thought about her parents, preferring instead to push the memories away, locking them in the recesses of her mind where they would no longer haunt her. She had the occasional nightmare, but now her parents had faded from her memory, another casualty in a war that had taken everything from her, and was about to take her very existence.

"How do we get to the Granolith?" Liz whispered. "We can't fight all those skins."

"I can hold them off," Michael said slowly, his eyes wandering over the many enemies between them and the Granolith. He paused as he looked at the two men near the side, the two men who were clearly in charge. His eyes narrowed and his hands clenched into fists.

Max followed Michael's line of vision, and his breath caught in his throat. He did not need to be any closer to those men to know who they were.

"Khivar," Max breathed.

"And Nicolas," Liz added, eyeing her husband warily. "But Max, don't do anything stupid…"

"He killed Isabel!" Max snarled, the pain reflected briefly in his eyes before it was replaced with pure fury. "I'll kill him!"

"No, you won't," Liz ordered sharply. "You'll stick to the plan. We all will." Her words were tense, a sharp order that caused Max to look over at Liz in surprise. The brunette was staring back at him with determination in his eyes. "You don't get to go looking for revenge, Max. You don't get to start a fight with Khivar, not when this is our _only_ chance."

"But…"

"Our parents are dead, Max. Maria, Isabel, Alex, and Serena are gone. Don't do this, don't waste everything. We've lost too much already," Liz pleaded, her words calming Max enough for him to see the situation more clearly. His eyes locked with Liz's, he nodded slowly.

Michael glanced in between Max and Liz. After a moment, he interrupted their silent conversation. "If we're going to do this, we need to do it quickly."

Max reached into his pocket and pulled out the crystal and the translation of the Destiny Book. "If we can get into the cave, I can take care of the rest," he said slowly. "But getting there is going to be difficult."

"I can hold the skin's off," Michael repeated his earlier comment.

"You'll get killed," Max whispered.

Michael shrugged, looking over at Max with unreadable eyes. "If we don't do this now, we'll all get killed," he said in a low voice.

Max nodded, then reached out and pulled Michael into a hug. Liz did the same, then the three friends separated and stared at the ground uncomfortably.

"Well… I guess this is goodbye," Michael said at last. Max and Liz nodded, and Michael turned and walked out into the open.

A decade of training had left the taciturn hybrid with more than just a reticent disposition. Energy crackled from his fingertips as he destroyed everything in his path. It was several moments before the skins were regrouped enough to launch a counter attack, and those few moments were all Max and Liz needed to race up the cliffs towards the entrance of the pod chamber.

Michael turned to see Max run his hand over the smooth face of the rock, saw the door open and his two friends turn to go inside, then something hit him in the back, and he fell to the ground.

The pain was white-hot and paralyzing, and for a moment, he smelled the desert dirt and dust in his lungs, and wished it would all end. Then some little bit of strength came flaring up within him, a memory of Maria's laugh, of flash of her dead body, and anger surged through his veins.

He was on his feet a few moments later, and struggling towards the pods chamber, where he could see several skins closing in on Max. Max had his shield up, but it was wavering under the onslaught, and he couldn't close the cliff entrance without loosing his concentration on the barrier between him and his enemies.

Michael attacked from behind, and the skins, unprepared for the surprise, turned to dust and shreds of skin that fell to the ground and littered the rocks. Michael stumbled and fell, the last of his energy gone. He heard someone cry his name, felt a hand grab his, and painfully shifted his head to look up into haunted brown eyes. "Max…"

Then the world went dark.

Liz grabbed Max and pulled him away from Michael's body. Seven of the ten skins had been killed, but Khivar and Nicolas were advancing, and they were running out of time. They fled up the slope to the cave, and through the narrow entrance to the room beyond, and the wall slid shut.

"How long do you think that will last?" Liz asked, glancing at the rock. She had to squint through the dim light.

"I don't know," Max answered honestly. "They know where the entrance is now, and I don't know what kind of powers Khivar has." He stared at the crystal in his hands, and saw in its reflection the memory of Michael's eyes clouding over.

"We'd better do this," Liz murmured, placing a hand on her husband's elbow.

Max nodded and replied, "It's just the two of us now." He gave Liz a bittersweet smile. "You and me, the last of the original eight." He kissed her gently and whispered, his breath hot on her face, "You're the last beautiful girl in the whole world."

Liz wiped the tears from her eyes and looked away. "We need to do this," she managed to choke out, knowing everything would be different in the new future.

And not necessarily better.

They would be alive, that was something. But what was life without Max?

They pushed through the pods to the Granolith chamber in the back of the cave. Almost a decade since they had last been here, and the energy of the Granolith still vibrated with the same intense power. The eerie blue light cast shadows on the wall as Max stared silently at the cone shaped device.

"I remember the first time I saw this," Max whispered. "Isabel, Michael, Tess, and I came after Isabel's birthday, after Congresswoman Whitaker kidnapped Tess. I remember what it felt like to stand in this room and feel that power and know that I was one step closer to the answers that I had been searching for forever." He turned and looked over at Liz. "But ten years have gone by now, and I found that the answers aren't that wonderful."

"Max…"

"I won't leave you," Max stated, his voice full of conviction.

"No, no, no." Liz hurried over to Max, shaking her head. "Max, you have to."

"If I'm successful, if I can do this, you and I won't exist. Not as we do now," Max argued. It wasn't worth it to him, he couldn't do this, he couldn't leave Liz.

And yet a part of him knew that he had to, and had already accepted the inevitable. The world had to be saved.

"Max, if you don't do this, we're going to die. Everyone will." She paused, her eyes dark, as she realized that everyone she cared about already had died. She glanced back at the exit to the cave, knowing Khivar and his skins were there, were close to getting into their sanctuary. "Max, you have to do this. You have to try it."

"I'll never see you again," Max whispered. He blinked a few stray tears away and continued, "Thank you."

"For what?" Liz asked, confused.

"For every kiss, every smile," Max replied.

"Max, I don't have any regrets," Liz assured him. She loved him and he loved her and they had been happy. For a time, they had been so happy.

Max turned and used his powers to shove the crystal into the base of the Granolith. A cone of whirling energy appeared above the Granolith, humming loudly. Max reached his hand up and placed it on the surface of the energy, and something ran through his hand, through his arm, and into the rest of his body. Something pulled him apart and tore at the fibers of his being, and a moment later he found himself inside the energy, inside the cold, raw power. He reached out a hand towards Liz, watching her blurry outline through the wall around him.

Liz reached out towards Max, their fingertips close together, then the Granolith exploded upward, and Liz fell to the ground as the chamber shook.

"Ma-Max!" Liz managed to cry out before the rocks and stones collapsed around her and everything faded away into nothingness.

* * *

Author's Note: I know I didn't say what happened to Kyle or Serena or Abby, and I'm not going to. Everything that I wanted to say, I've already written, and it is up to you to fill in the gaps in the story. I apologize to anyone who doesn't like the abrupt ending.

There is one more chapter after this, but here is the confusing part, I'm going to write three different endings that could have happened. I hope you will read all of them, although I understand if you don't want to because some of them might not fit your taste in couples. I just wanted to cover all the different possibilites for the future, because the show never made it clear what happens next. If Tess was needed to save the world, then doesn't everything end anyway because she died? If Liz was supposed to take her spot to complete the Four Square, which is the impression I got at the end of the third season, then why couldn't she save the world the first time around? Why did Future Max have to come back? So the three endings will each address a different possible future, and two of them will be very AU.

Next (and last) Chapter: Epilogue

Due: Sunday 5/28


	10. Epilogue: Half Forgotten Dreams

Title: Paradise

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Author's note: As I mentioned in the last chapter, the Epilogue is broken into three different parts, three different versions. I've decided to post each one as a different chapter, and I'll give a brief summary of each version so you can decide which one to read and which one you would like to believe is the real one.

* * *

Couples: M/L, Mi/M, A/I, K/T

Summary: Alex didn't die and Tess is not evil. The group stays together. AU from around the middle of season two.

* * *

Epilogue: Half-Remembered Dreams

Tess started awake in bed and looked around the room in confusion. Some memory was tugging at her consciousness, but she couldn't quite grasp it. She closed her eyes for a moment, drawing on all the memory retrieval techniques that she knew, but the strange reminiscence slipped through her grasp and disappeared into the recessives of her tired mind.

"Tess? Something wrong?" a sleepy voice asked, and Kyle sat up in bed, staring at his wife in concern. "You look… troubled."

Tess shoved the covers away from her and placed her feet on the floor. "Everything's fine, Kyle. Go back to sleep," she said as she stood up and made her way out of the room.

Standing in the hallway, she looked around for a moment, then headed to her daughter's bedroom. She pushed the door open slowly and peeked in the darkness. A single ray of light from the hallway fell across Abby's small bed, illuminating the young child's brown hair and pale skin. Tess smiled at the sight of her peacefully sleeping daughter, and closed the door.

"What are you doing?" Kyle asked as he stepped into the hallway as well. "And don't tell me nothing, Tess, I can tell when you are lying," he continued, narrowing her eyes at him.

"I just had a strange dream," Tess replied with a shrug.

"What was it about?" Kyle asked as he slipped his arm around Tess' waist. He still couldn't believe that she was his wife. He couldn't believe that he had ever been that lucky, that she had said yes when he had proposed.

"I'm not sure," Tess admitted, kissing Kyle lightly on the cheek. "I just… I have the feeling that it was important."

Kyle's eyebrows came together in worry. "Should we call Max?" he asked quickly. "Michael? Isabel?"

Max and Liz lived on the outskirts of L.A, about half-an-hour away from Tess and Kyle. in a fashionable and sprawling house. Max was a doctor, and a very prominent one at that. Liz was a molecular biologist, and ran the Molecular Ph.D. program at UCLA. Michael and Maria lived in the very heart of L.A. Maria worked as a blues club singer and had a contract label and a few CDs already produced. She was by no means the next Madonna, but she enjoyed her work, and that was what mattered the most to her. Michael worked retail, the least glamorous job of the group, but, as Maria often joked, with his record it was a minor miracle he was employed at all. Alex and Isabel also lived in the suburbs of L.A. Isabel worked for a fashion designer, and had plans of starting her own line someday. Alex was a technology consultant for a large nonprofit organization that organized relief work and donations in the wake of natural disasters.

Things had worked out well.

Oh, there had been heartbreaks and tragedies along the way. Jim had been diagnosed with cancer just before they graduated high school, and had passed away two years later in a hospice home near Santa Fé. Diane had been killed by skins, and a devastated Max had lead a bitter and brutal attack on the offending aliens. They continued to fight a quiet war with Khivar, and just barely managed to stay below the FBI's radar. There had been many near misses, and no one knew for sure if they would live through the battle.

But when the Royal Four fought side-by-side, they were close to unstoppable.

"Tess?" Kyle's voice jolted the blonde hybrid from her thoughts. "Do we need to call Max?"

Tess shook her head. "No, it isn't that important. I'll talk to him tomorrow morning." She glanced at Kyle. "But I think I'm going to take a walk, clear my head a little, okay?"

Kyle nodded slowly. "Do you want me to come?" he asked, apprehensive of having his wife wandering the street of L.A. by herself at night.

Tess shook her head. "I'm fine, Kyle," she said quickly. "You go back to sleep."

Kyle nodded and walked back to his room. He paused at the doorway and called back to Tess. "Just be careful, okay?"

Tess laughed quietly and gave him a reassuring smile. "You worry too much," she teased. Then her expression turned serious. "I'm always careful." She ran a hand through her hair and walked towards the front door of the house, her mind traveling back to the dream. She knew it was important, she just couldn't… she just couldn't remember.

* * *

Liz fumbled for her plane ticket, sorting through the many belongings in her purse before coming up with the paper she wanted. She handed it to the woman at the gate, who nodded and smiled, then grabbed her bags and hurriedly boarded the plane.

She was finally going home to Roswell. She had been in Boston for a week at a conference for molecular biologists. It had been interesting, and she had presented a paper that had been incredibly well received. But she missed her friends and family, and the sunny warmth of L.A.

She stuffed her roller suitcase into the overhead compartment above her seat, then pushed her purse under the seat in front of her. She was sitting in the aisle seat, which she always liked the best. She liked being able to stretch her legs and walk around when she needed to. In the years since she had met Max, many things about her had changed, and one of those was that she couldn't sit still for more than a few hours at a time without getting antsy.

Liz smiled at the woman in the middle seat next to her. She was about Liz's age, with sparkling green eyes and long red hair. She returned Liz's smile and said pleasantly, "Ready for six hours on a plane?"

Liz laughed. "I hate cross-country flights," she replied. "But I'm eager to go home."

"Oh, you live in L.A.?" the redhead asked in interest. "I'm just visiting for a few days. The law firm I work at is sending me there to get some paperwork from UCLA's physics department."

"Are you interested in physics?" Liz asked, surprised. It wasn't often that she met a female physicist, it was a male dominated field.

"I actually have a Ph.D. in it," the woman replied with a embarrassed smile. "But I went to law school as well, so I don't use the physics as much." She glanced down at her hands for a moment, then said, "Do you have any places in L.A. you think I should visit while I'm there?"

Liz grinned. "I can give you a lot of places to go," she said easily. "It's a great city, so alive. Not quite New York City, but the weather is infinitely better."

"Yeah, that's one of the things I hate about Boston. The winters and summers are miserable." The woman extended a hand. "I'm Serena, by the way," she introduced herself.

Liz frowned. The name Serena rang a bell with her, but she couldn't place it. She shrug the thought away, it was a common enough name that she had probably heard it somewhere else and was just randomly remembering it now. After all, what where the chances that she knew this native Bostonian?

"Liz," Liz replied, shaking Serena's hand.

* * *

"Michael, I thought I asked you to pick up milk!" Maria called in annoyance as she stared at the empty milk carton in her hand.

Michael poked his head into the kitchen. "I did," he said, gesturing to the half-full carton on the counter near the refrigerator.

"That's 1 percent," Maria said in exasperation. "I only drink nonfat."

Michael shrugged. "So buy your own milk," he said simply, disappearing into the hallway again.

"Michael!" Maria ground the name out in annoyance. "I get food for you, you know. I don't make you do your own shopping."

"You're the girl," Michael's voice floated out from the bedroom. "That's your job."

Maria spun around and stormed from the kitchen and into the bedroom. "Michael Guerin, how dare you take the sexist line with me, you lazy slob…"

Michael looked over at her, a smirk on his features. "You're hot when you're angry, you know that?" he said with a roguish grin.

"You jerk," Maria snapped, hitting Michael on the arm. "You lazy, slovenly, sexist, insensitive…"

"I'm not a slob," Michael interrupted. Maria gave him a disbelieving look and he snapped, "Hey, not all of us feel the need to color code our CDs."

"Why do I put up with you?" Maria demanded in frustration, throwing her hands up in the air.

Michael caught both her hands and pulled her towards him, then wrapped one arm around her waist and kissed her passionately. A moment later, he pulled back and asked softly, "Now do you remember why you put up with me?"

Maria leaned against his chest. "That wasn't fair," she protested. "You cheated."

Michael laughed and kissed the top of her head. "I have to get to work now, but I'll pick up your nonfat milk on the way home," he promised.

* * *

The two men met in the darkness of the abandoned warehouse and spoke in hushed whispers. They discussed the past, the unfinished case of the Roswell crash, of the aliens that had slipped through their fingers and disappeared like smoke in the night. They made plans for the future, plans to find the enemies and eliminate them.

They had done this once a year, every year, since the Special Unit had first been disbanded. They believed that there were still aliens out there, no matter what anyone else said. The rest of the FBI might have turned to other matters, but they didn't.

And every year they had walked away with little hope, because the enemy continued to evade them. But not this year. This year was different.

This year they had names.

The first man stared at the list in his hand. Four names, four people who had once lived in Roswell New Mexico. Four potential targets.

He pointed to the first name.

Max Evans.

That was where they would start.

* * *

"You okay, Tess?" Maria asked as she sunk into a seat next to her friend. "You look like you haven't slept in a week." She handed the blonde hybrid a mocha latte and tilted her head to one side. "And those circles under your eyes do nothing for your complexion."

"Thanks," Tess said sarcastically, shaking her head and flashing Maria a smile. She, Maria, Liz, and Isabel were meeting at the fancy Café Dior like they did every week. The four friends would get caught up on each other's lives and check in to make sure everyone was okay. Sometimes they would quietly discuss strategies for the next attack against Khivar, or brainstorm ideas for avoiding the FBI, but mostly it was just a chance for four friends to share stories about their lives and laugh with each other.

"Maria's right," Liz said, taking a seat across from Tess. "You do look a little pale. Are you getting sick?"

"Czechoslovakians don't get sick," Tess replied. "I just haven't been sleeping well for a few days, that's all."

Isabel leaned her elbows on the table and studied Tess carefully. "Why haven't you been sleeping?" she asked in concern.

"Strange dreams," Tess admitted reluctantly, inwardly marveling at her friends' ability to drag every detail out of her.

"What kind of dreams?" Liz asked instantly. "Should I call Max?"

"No," Tess said quickly, raising a hand. "They aren't those kind of dreams. I just… its like I'm dreaming about something that happened in the past, only I can't remember it when I wake up." She shrug nonchalantly. "I don't think it's that important."

"Well, tell us if anything happens, okay?" Isabel requested. "If it gets worse, of if you remember the dream, you'll tell us."

Tess nodded. "Of course," she said. "I tell you everything, you know that." She ran a hand through her hair and tapped her finger nails impatiently on the table. She wished she could remember the dream, wished she could figure out what it all meant…

"You know I would never leave you guys, right?" Tess said abruptly, wondering even as she said it why she was worried about them thinking that she was leaving.

Isabel and Maria looked at Tess in complete confusion, but Liz was giving Tess a thoughtful stare. Tess' words brought back memories for the brunette, and suddenly she knew where she had heard the name Serena before.

Could that redhead have been…?

Liz swallowed. It had been a long time since she had thought about Future Max. She had never revealed to anyone what had happened, not even Maria or Max. Kyle was the only other person who knew that she hadn't actually slept with him. And for a long time, it had ruined her relationship with Max, and by default, with Michael and Isabel as well.

But then Tess and Max had broken up, and Tess had started dating Kyle. Although the hybrid Queen had never explained to anyone why she had stopped pursuing Max, Liz was fairly certain it was because she had realized that while she loved Max, she wasn't in love with him.

And Max and Liz had given their relationship another shot. Some things were never the same again, and there was always a strain whenever they broached the topic of Kyle and Liz in bed together. So they had learned to avoid that memory, and for the most part, things worked out well.

The four aliens had stayed together, and the world had yet to end.

"Why would we worry about you leaving?" Maria demanded, her words interrupting Liz's thoughts. Liz glanced at Maria, then switched her attention to Tess.

Tess chewed her bottom lip thoughtfully, her forehead lined with confusion. "I don't know," she admitted slowly. "I just… I just need you to know that I'm here with you all, no matter what."

Liz reached out her hand on top of Tess'. "We know," she said sincerely. "None of us are going to leave. Whatever life throws at us, we'll deal with it as a group. We're in this together, always have been, always will be."

Together through thick and thin.


	11. Epilogue: Full Circle

Title: Paradise

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Couples: M/L, Mi/M, implied J/I

Summary: Everything through the entire series happened, including season three. Funny how some things happen no matter how hard you try to prevent them. Pretty dark, and definitely not happy.

* * *

Epilogue: Full Circle

Liz looked up as the Granolith disappeared into the brilliant blue sky, taking Tess and her unborn child away on it. She stifled a sob as she realized what was happening. They were letting Tess escape, letting the murderer go. She shook her head, trying to push away the thoughts that plagued her mind, trying desperately to just be happy that they had exposed Tess for the traitor that she was before it was too late for Max, Michael, and Isabel.

She turned and looked over at Michael and Maria. Maria was staring up at Michael, a confused expression on her face. "You opened the door and you came out…" she whispered. "Why?" There was a silence while Michael just stared at her, then Maria's eyes widened as comprehension dawned. "You stayed… for me?"

"What happens now, Max?" Isabel asked. Behind her, Kyle took a few steps closer to the group, his eyes haunted with disbelief. Michael and Maria turned to look at Max as well, and Liz stepped out of his arms and looked up into his face, into the face of the man she loved with all her heart.

But he wasn't looking at any of them. He was staring in the direction the ship had left, and remembering the woman who was carrying his son. "I have to save my son," he replied, determination filling his eyes.

They left the rocks, left the remains of the pod chamber, and made their way back to the car. Max wrapped his arm around Liz's waist and smiled down at her, thankful to have her close to him again. He loved her so much, and he knew she loved him as well. And somehow, some way, they could get past Tess.

Liz smiled up at him. But something tugged at the back of her mind, something she felt she should remember, but couldn't quite grasp. Something important…

She shook her head. She was glad Tess was gone, glad the traitor was out of her life. She had never trusted Tess, even when everyone else had finally accepted her. She had pretended to be nice, had smiled and let her into the group, but something had nagged at her, some sixth sense telling her she needed to be careful.

And Alex had paid the price.

So she was happy Tess was gone.

But something kept floating through her mind, some feeling that she had just made a mistake.

* * *

_Several Years Later_

"I hate vans," Isabel muttered as she followed the others back to the vehicle they now called home. She wanted to be with Jesse, but he was off somewhere in Boston, and she hadn't seen him in so many years. And who knows, he might have moved on by now, moved on and married someone else. It was hard to say.

"We all hate vans," Liz laughed, smiling back at her friend. Maria and Michael both nodded in agreement. Max paused and looked over at Isabel, sympathy on his face. He knew that this was hard for her, being away from her family, from her husband. Harder for her than anyone else, because she had left the most behind.

Kyle clicked his tongue impatiently at the group. "We don't have a choice, though, so let's hurry up and get moving. This place is giving me the creeps."

Maria looked around the parking lot. "It's a fast-food restaurant, Kyle," she said dryly. "What could happen here?"

Kyle shrugged. "I know what I feel," he said stubbornly.

They lapsed into silence as they approached the van, and Max unlocked the doors. They had been on the road for a while now, following Liz's visions as they rushed to help one family after another. And to fight the skins. And to avoid the FBI.

It seemed like they were constantly on the run.

But they had to be, because the skins were getting close. They had showed up in Roswell a few months after the pod squad had been forced to flee, and had systematically killed several of the town's inhabitants in an attempt to get information from them. Diane Evans and Amy DeLuca had been two of the people who died.

And every now and then the FBI would show up, somehow managing to find a clue that lead them closer to the aliens. There had been a few narrow misses, and each time the FBI had gotten more aggressive, more dangerous.

They piled into the van, and Max took the driver's seat. He turned the keys in the ignition and quickly pulled out of the parking lot. The others began to talk, to argue, to chatter, and Max smiled to himself.

As the van disappeared into the parking lot, two men walked out of the shadows on the restaurant. They stared in grim silence at each other, then the first said, "So we have finally found the remaining Royals."

"We should report back to Nicolas," the second said. He had wanted to attack the Royals then and there. After years of searching, they had finally found their targets, and he was ready for blood. But their was an order of command that they had to follow, and that meant that they had to report back to Nicolas before doing anything.

The first man let out a sharp breath and nodded. He too was displeased by the wait. But they had waited many years, they could wait a few more days.

After all, time was on their side.

* * *

Jesse grabbed his suitcase and jacket and walked to the door of his office. It had been another long day at the law firm, and he wanted to get home as quickly as possible.

Although there wasn't really anything to go home to…

How many years had it been since he had last talked to Isabel? She had called him a few times from pay phones in the beginning, but as the weeks turned into months turned into years, her phone calls became less frequent, and now Jesse wasn't sure if he had spoken to her at all in the past two years.

Was she even still alive?

He sighed and closed his office door, locking it and pocketing the key. He was still waiting for her, and would probably wait for her forever. He loved her.

But was she ever coming back?

He walked down the hallway and stopped next to the elevator. A moment later a woman joined him, a paralegal he vaguely recognized. She had red hair and bright green eyes, a distinct enough coloring that she was hard to forget. But he couldn't quite remember her name.

He didn't say anything to her, and she didn't say anything to him. Not even a polite hello. Perhaps she could sense that he wasn't in the mood to talk.

The elevator arrived, and they both stepped into it. Jesse reached across and hit the button for the lobby, and the elevator carried them downwards. They rode in silence.

On the main floor, Jesse stepped out to find FBI agents swarming the floor. He looked around in surprise, wondering what they were doing there.

The red-haired woman, seeing his confusion, said, "There was a memo about the FBI doing some investigation here. I think it might have to do with those terrorist attacks in New York a few months ago."

"Oh," Jesse replied. "They think our firm is involved?"

The woman shrugged. "I don't know. But we were told that they would be here for a few days, and to help them in any way possible." They had reached the main doors at this point, and stepped out into the cold Boston air. The wind whipped around them, finding its way past the heavy layers of cotton and wool, and chilling the bones.

"Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow, Ms…" Jesse paused expectantly.

"Serena," the woman said with a smile. "My name's Serena."

"Right." Jesse nodded. "See you tomorrow."

Serena nodded and turned away, crossing the street and disappearing into the crowd. Jesse stared back at the building, at the FBI agents, and frowned, before he too walked away.

* * *

"I'm going to sleep," Isabel announced, tossing her suitcase onto the floor of the motel room and throwing herself onto the bed. "I'm going to sleep for the next hundred years."

"That sounds good," Kyle agreed.

"I don't know," Michael said with a smirk, glancing over at Maria. "I had some other ideas of what I could do in bed."

"Oh, way too much information," Isabel groaned, slanting a look at the hybrid General.

But Michael wasn't listening. He and Maria had both started towards the door, intent on finding their own room.

"I'm going to shower," Liz said. She glanced over at Max. "You want to go for a walk afterwards?"

"Yeah, that sounds nice," Max agreed, and he and Liz left the room as well.

"I seriously need a girl," Kyle muttered, watching the two couples leave. Isabel laughed, and leaned her head back on the pillow, shutting her eyes. Kyle shot her an annoyed look and left the room as well.

He wandered down the hallway. As he reached the end of the hallway a door in front of him flew open, and woman stormed out, tears streaming down her cheeks. She was holding a cell phone in one hand, but her fingers were closed so tightly around it that it looked as though she was trying to crush it. Her knuckles were completely white and her brown eyes were bloodshot.

"You okay?" Kyle asked in instant concern.

The woman whipped around to look at him. She sniffed and nodded. "Horrible marriage, horrible divorce, horrible ex-husband. I swear I'm going to kill him. Or worse. Does he really think he can still try to ruin my life? We're done! Over. I'll _kill_ him." She let out a slow breath, then flushed as she realized she was crying in front of a complete stranger. "Sorry, I'm not usually this… emotional."

"That's alright," Kyle said. He stared at the woman for a moment, thinking she was really quite pretty underneath the tears and anger. "Sounds like you have a reason to be upset."

"Stupid, stupid man," the woman muttered under her breath.

Kyle swallowed and bit his lip, then decided to do something really impulsive. "Hey, I was going to go explore the neighborhood around the motel. You look like you could use a distraction. Care to join me?"

"That would be… really nice," the woman said, flashing a brilliant smile. "I'm Jennifer, by the way. But, uh… you can call me Jenni."

"Nice to meet you, Jenni. I'm Kyle."

* * *

_Come with me, Vilandra." The man extended his hand towards her, his soft brown eyes filled with a gentle yearning. "Come and rule by my side like you were always meant to. Come with me." _

_Isabel stumbled backwards, her eyes wide with fear. "Stay away from me, Khivar," she half-begged, half-hissed. _

"_You reject me?" The warm brown eyes darkened into an icy black, to midnight slits glaring at her. "You reject _me_?" He laughed coldly, and the wind whipped around him, kicking up the sand and dirt and causing a maelstrom dust. "You, who once betrayed your brother, your king, for me. You reject me?"_

"_I didn't… you tricked me," Isabel cried. Her eyes narrowed. "I told you to stay away from me, Khivar. I told you at my wedding…"_

"_And where is your handsome love? Where is your knight in shinning armor now?" Khivar sneered._

"_Go to hell," Isabel snarled, rage boiling within her._

"_But I love you," he whispered, and his voice was mocking. _

_Like daggers, the words punctured her soul, and she managed to breath out an answer. "No…Jesse…I love Jesse."_

_The man laughed again. "You can't fight me, darling Vilandra," he murmured. No one can." And Isabel saw a flash of Max lying dead on the street, covered in his own blood, of Michael glowing with an eerie blue light as his body crumpled to the ground, of Liz beaten and broken…_

_And she screamed. _

She woke up, feeling strong arms around her, and hearing someone frantically calling her name. She blinked to clear her blurry vision and stared around her, the fear still coursing through her. She could still hear Khivar's words, still feel his cold breath on her skin.

"Isabel? Are you alright?"

Isabel turned and looked into her brother's eyes. She pulled away from him, and he released her, but still sat next to her on the bed. Behind him, Liz and Maria were staring at her with wide eyes and open mouths, and Michael paced the floor nervously.

"I… I just…" Isabel stuttered.

"What happened?" Max repeated urgently. He hated seeing his sister so scared, so… so helpless. "Tell me. Are you alright?"

Isabel nodded slowly and licked her lips. "It's just a dream, Max," she said, and even she did not believe the words.

* * *

Liz pulled a sweater out of her suitcase and tossed it on the bed. The sun was sinking over the distant horizon, and the desert sky was lit with reds and pinks. It was chilly out, not cold, but with the wind, Liz knew she would want a sweater.

She was about to close the suitcase when the inside pocket opened slightly, and a few papers slipped out. She reached for them, flipping them over and staring at the photos. One showed the six of them, Maria, Alex, Isabel, Michael, Max, and herself, all crammed together in a booth at the Crashdown. Another picture showed her and Max on their wedding day, grinning at each other, so completely in love. Kyle, Isabel, Michael, and Maria crowded into the back of the picture, throwing birdseed into the air.

Liz smiled as she remembered the argument she had had with Maria over throwing rice. Maria had been appalled at the very suggestion because the rice could kill birds if they ate it, and she insisted on birdseed instead. And Liz had caved to her friends wishes. Which was why her wedding dress was attacked by birds whenever she took it out of its bag. They were still finding the remains of the birdseed in the folds of silk, even after all these days.

The last picture was one of Max at the Crashdown. He was looking away from her, looking out of a window. His eyes were shadowed with anger and pain, and Liz swallowed as she stared at him. This was taken shortly after he had seen her and Kyle in bed together, shortly after Future Max…

Liz frowned suddenly. Shortly after Future Max had come back and told her that the world would end if Tess left.

But Tess was a traitor, she was going to leave anyway. Even if she hadn't meant to kill Alex, even if it was an accident, she was still going to betray them.

Liz swallowed. And now they had no Granolith to go back and warn their past selves. Now they had no way of preventing the inevitable.

Was it really inevitable? Was the world going to end anyway? She stood and looked out of the window at the fiery sky, and the sunset.

Was it always supposed to be like this? Was this their destiny?

She choked on the word, it tasted bitter in her mouth. Destiny had cost them so much, but now she couldn't help but wonder if all their pain and struggles had been for nothing.

She stifled a sob at the thought.

_This is the way the world ends, not with a bang, but a whimper…_


	12. Epilogue: The Memory of You

Title: Paradise

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Couples: M/T and strongly implied M/L, Mi/M, I/A

Summary: Liz successfully pushes Max into Tess' arms, but was it really for the best? Things fall apart easily. Alex does not die and Tess is not evil, AU from around the end of season two.

* * *

Epilogue: The Memory of You

Max watched as his young son ran around the living room excitedly. His mop of brown hair fell over brilliant blue eyes, and his mouth split into a wide smile. He was clutching a superman figurine in one hand, playing a make-believe game that only he understood.

Max sighed and glanced over at the kitchen. Through the doors, he could just catch a glimpse of Tess as she set the table and finished cooking dinner. She looked the same as she always had, even after all these years. All the aliens did, perhaps it was something about their genetic makeup that made them age much more slowly.

Isabel and Alex were coming over for dinner. Michael and Maria were supposed to join them, but they had suddenly got called away on something else. Michael had called Max to apologize for changing the plans so quickly, and claimed he and Maria both had an emergency at work.

But Max knew the truth.

Maria still didn't want to be in the same room as Tess.

Max shook his head in frustration. Liz _slept_ with Kyle, and Maria made him and Tess out to be the bad people. He understood that Maria was still Liz's best friend, and she had to take her side on the matter, but did she really have to treat them both with such open contempt? It had been years since high school.

And Liz had _slept_ with Kyle.

Liz. He had spoken to her since graduation. He had no idea where she was or what she was doing. He hadn't bothered to stay in touch with her, although he wanted to, because he knew it was time for him to let go of what could never be. He had forgiven her for sleeping with Kyle, but she had continued to push him away after that, push him away so many times that he finally let her go and moved on.

To Tess.

He loved Tess.

He just wasn't in love with her.

His heart belonged to Liz, and even if she wasn't there, it didn't change the truth. He couldn't give his heart to Tess even if he was married to her.

And Kyle. He'd lost track of Kyle as well. Tess hadn't, she stayed in touch with her sort-of brother and sort-of father. Kyle had gotten married a few years back, and Tess had been thrilled. She and Max had attended the wedding, and it was the one and only time since graduation that Max had seen Liz.

Their eyes had met across the room. Liz had stared at him, but then her gaze fell to Tess, to the two hybrids interlocked hands, and she had looked away.

It was strange, the way the group fell apart. Max, Michael, Isabel, and Tess stayed together. Alex, Liz, and Maria stayed together. Kyle, Tess, and Jim stayed together. Alex and Isabel had stayed together, and Michael and Maria had stayed together. But despite the relationships that formed their complicated web of connections, the group itself had not stayed together. It had been a long time since Max had spoken to Alex or Maria without Michael or Isabel there. It had been a long time since they had been a group.

Max shook his head to push away the dismal thoughts and turned his attention back to his son. And for a moment, he could suddenly picture his son with brown eyes, Liz's eyes, and tan skin. He blinked, and the image faded away, but not before it had left a lasting impression on him.

He couldn't do this, he couldn't keep holding on to her. It wasn't fair to Tess, it wasn't fair to his son, and it wasn't fair to himself. He had to let her go.

But even as he told himself that, her ghost continued to haunt, continued to silently ask _what if…?_

What if things were different?

* * *

Maria shoved the frozen dinner into the microwave and glanced over at Michael. "What reason did you give Max for us bailing on the dinner?" she asked as she turned the microwave on.

"Work emergency," Michael said as he sunk into a kitchen chair and stared at Maria.

"For both of us?" Maria asked skeptically. "He's not going to believe that."

"He wouldn't believe anything I told him," Michael retorted. "He knows why we avoid them. He knows why _you_ avoid _Tess_."

Maria sighed. There was a silence while she pulled their dinners out of the microwave and placed one on the table in front of Michael. Michael stared at it moodily, pushing the contents back and forth with a knife. Maria took a seat across from him and stared down at her own dinner.

"Great meal," Michael commented sarcastically.

"You could have gone," Maria snapped. "I didn't keep you from going to have dinner with Max and Tess." She took a bite and chewed for a moment, watching the emotions that flickered through Michael's eyes.

"I'll see them later, on my own," Michael replied. No matter how many times she protested that he could go on his own, Michael knew that Maria wanted him to stay at home. And because he did see Max, Isabel, and Tess frequently, he didn't feel the need to be there for dinner.

"I talked to Liz today," Maria said. "She was in Chicago for a few days on a business trip and stopped by to see Kyle and Jenni."

"And how are they all?" Michael asked disinterestedly.

"Liz is doing well. She's presenting a paper some molecular science thing," Maria replied. She pushed her hair out of her eyes and was silent for a moment. Then she said, "Kyle and Jenni are expecting."

"Expecting what?" Michael asked in confusion.

"A baby," Maria replied in exasperation. Honestly, what else would they be expecting?

"Oh. That's nice," Michael said unemotionally.

Maria rolled her eyes. "Anyway, Liz wants to go back to Chicago when the baby is born." She paused, and looked at Michael expectantly, as though he was supposed to understand some hidden meaning in her words. He looked back at her blankly, and said nothing.

Maria sighed. "Don't you get it?"

"No," Michael answered, wondering vaguely what he was supposed to get.

"Liz is going to be there. Tess is going to be there. Max might even be there. They'll all be in Chicago together at the same time," Maria announced triumphantly. "That hasn't happened since Kyle and Jenni got married."

"And they'll do exactly what they did then, which is spend the entire night avoiding each other," Michael commented dryly. He stood up and tossed the rest of his dinner into the garbage can. "I don't know why you still harp on this. Max and Liz are over."

Maria shook her head confidently. "They aren't over. They are perfect for each other. They can never be over."

"And Max has a wife and a kid," Michael pointed out. "He isn't the type of guy who would just leave them." He ran a hand through his hair in frustration. Maria still clung to the belief that Max and Liz were meant to be together, but Max and Liz had both moved on.

Well, that was a lie. Neither one had moved on, but they did have separate lives now, and they couldn't be together.

"Anyway, after everything Liz did to push Max away…" Michael started, and Maria flared up instantly.

"She was just trying to get him to follow his destiny, because she thought it was the right thing to do. Which was totally misguided on her part, but she still had good intentions," Maria snapped. "Don't blame her for this!"

Sensing he was moving into dangerous territory, Michael quickly changed the subject. "Are you going to go see this kid of Kyle's?" he asked.

"At some point," Maria said. "I mean, my mom is dating his dad so…" She sighed and stood up as well. Although they had never tied the knot, Amy and Jim had lived together for years now, and Kyle was sort of family.

Which meant that Tess was sort of family.

A thought Maria did her best not to think about.

"I'll bet Amy and Jim are thrilled," Michael nodded slowly.

Maria gave an agreeing smile.

There was a silence, then Michael said, "It wasn't anyone's fault." Maria looked at him questioningly, and he elaborated, "What happened with Max and Liz, with the entire group, it wasn't anyone's fault. Not ours, not Max's, not Liz's… not even Tess'."

Maria sighed heavily. "I know. I just… I hate this. I hate everything being so… wrong."

Michael stepped closer to her and kissed her on the forehead. "Not everything is wrong," he murmured. "After all, we're still together."

* * *

Isabel's eyes snapped open and she rolled over in bed, her head pounding. She sat up and blinked through the darkness at Alex's still form. Moving silently so as not to wake her sleeping husband, she pushed the covers back and crept to the door of the bedroom. Slipping out into the hallway, she yawned and tried to clear her fuzzy thoughts.

They had stayed with Max and Tess late last night, not getting back until the early hours of the morning. Michael and Maria had been called away… again. Isabel shook her head in frustration. She understood that Maria viewed Tess, and to some extent, Max, as the cause to all of Liz's problems, but it was more complicated than that. Their lives were so much more complicated and blaming Tess or Max didn't solve anything.

There wasn't any one particular reason that they had all fallen apart. It just… happened. They weren't a group anymore, and although Isabel regretted the loss of her friendships with Liz and Kyle, she knew she couldn't dwell on that. She had to move on, they all had to.

A picture on the wall caught her eye, and she stared at it for a moment. It was a picture of them at the Crashdown during their sophomore year, before they had met Tess, before Kyle and Jim had become part of the group, before they knew who they were and where they were from. It was just the six of them, and they looked happy.

They had been happy.

What had happened?

Tess' arrival had stirred things up a bit, but it was more than that. Something had changed, something had pushed them all apart during their junior and senior years. Liz was the first to slip away from the group, but the others followed as well until everything fell to pieces.

Isabel stepped into the kitchen and walked over to the phone. She quickly dialed a number and listened the rings at the other end. After a moment, a groggy voice picked up the phone and said, "It's the middle of the night."

"I know, Max," Isabel replied. "I just… I had this strange feeling when I woke up."

"What sort of feeling?" Max asked, instantly alert.

"I don't know," Isabel sighed, rubbing her tired eyes. "I just… something is going to happen, Max. I can feel it."

* * *

Liz closed the door to her apartment and locked it, then set off down the hallway humming to herself. She pulled her hair back into a ponytail as she walked. It was early in the morning, and she wanted to go for a jog before heading in to work. It was a habit she had picked up at some point, jogging to clear her head.

She put the headphones of her iPod on and left the apartment building. She started to jog down the street, inhaling the cool air. It was gray and cloudy, and threatening to rain.

Liz turned the corner and headed towards the park. She desperately needed to push away her thoughts, last nights dreams.

She had been dreaming about Max.

It happened every now and then. Each time she pushed the dreams away and pretended not to think about him, not to miss him, not to wonder every moment of every day what things would have been like if she hadn't pushed him away.

Would the world have really ended?

It was too late to go back and change things now, but she still desperately wanted to know.

Did she and Max ever have a real chance?

She pushed the thought away. No point dwelling on what she couldn't change. This was her life, and she was determined to live it without him haunting her.

But his memory never faded away.

Liz was so intent in her thoughts that she didn't see the two men watching her as she reached the park and made her way through the trees and towards the dirt track that circled the play structures.

But they saw her.

The first man glanced over at the second. "She's not one of them," he said coldly, and his voice grated, harsh and inhuman.

"She's not fully human," the second said. "I mean, she is human, but there is something about her… she's been marked by the King. She's been healed."

"She's never around the King," the first man countered. "Perhaps she was in the past, but she isn't now. Now the King is around the other Royals."

"True. But they are too strong right now. With the four of them together, we can't risk an open attack. Not until we are sure we can get the upper hand." He turned to other. "We have to attack quietly. Send warning blows, but not actually engage in open combat."

The first man smiled at his companion, an icy smirk. "And what warning would you send?"

The second man turned and stared in the direction Liz had gone, his eyes lit with anticipation.


End file.
